WWF calls for warm homes – ‘not just warm words’ – to tackle climate change

By DARA BUTTERFIELD

The WWF’s latest energy report ‘Warm homes, not warm words’ calls for stronger government action to tackle the carbon emissions from heating homes

The report states that currently just 2% of UK heating demand is met by low-carbon sources and the Government is “very far” from the 25% goal to be achieved by 2030.

This is especially important as heating accounts for 32% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and 44% of energy use.

Zoe Leader, WWF-UK’s Climate and Energy Specialist, said: “The Government’s support for renewable heat is making slow but steady progress, but at the current rate will fail to meet our climate change goals.

“In the next 15 years, the UK needs to insulate eight million lofts, install nearly four million heat pumps and quadruple the number of homes connected to heat networks.

“That’s not going to happen without stronger government support. The prize at the end will be many more warmer, healthier homes that are cheaper to run.

WWF’s report says that the scenario set out by the Committee on Climate Change can be achieved with the right policies and support. To deliver sustainable and affordable low-carbon heat, the WWF believes Government must:

• Take the lead in highlighting the long-term economic, energy security and environmental benefits of low-carbon heat.
• Provide a balance of regulation and incentives to increase uptake of renewable heat technologies – including extending the Renewable Heat Incentive to provide certainty to industry.
• Drive action on energy efficiency. This includes making energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority and legislation that sets a timeline for regulating improvements in energy efficiency and low-carbon heating, and
• Elevate the roll-out of low-carbon heat networks to a national infrastructure priority.