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Renewables for UK Households

QUICK SUMMARY

Renewable heat sources are a hot topic once again and this time we have some serious deadlines. The UK is under a legal obligation to reach net zero by 2050 and the UK government seems fully behind a large scale roll out.

What does this mean for UK households? Definitely decarbonising our homes by better insulating them - so we lose less heat - and the eventual end to fossil fuels in favour of renewable heat sources. In this section we review the likely alternatives to fossil fuel heating systems and the financial incentives available to homeowners to fit renewable heating systems.

Renewable heating systems

Radiator balancing

More important than you think for efficiency, David explains all

Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) Quick Guide

A new voucher scheme that will contribute £7.5k towards the cost of an air source heat pump or a ground source heat pump starts on 1st April 2022. We guide you on how to claim the voucher, eligibility, exclusions, time limits and consumer protection measures. Go to Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

What will replace gas boilers in the future?

80% of homes will move to a heat pump and the rest will run on heat networks.  Go to the future of heating.

Bitesize steps to decarbonising your home

Don't try to swallow an elephant when deciding how to convert to a low carbon home. You can take can reduce your carbon footprint today with a small investment in your existing gas system and prepare for a low carbon heating system along the way. Go to Bitesize steps to decarbonising your home.

Heat pumps

There are many types of heat pump – air to water, ground source, hybrid and air to air. Air to water is a good match for existing UK households. We review the technology, pros and cons, brands and efficiencies in our comprehensive guide. Go to heat pumps.

How to avoid a bad heat pump installation

We take you through the measures in place to protect you from bad installations, what to check before you buy and the minimum standards registered installers must meet in their service to you. Go to our consumer protection guide.

Take action if you have a poor heat pump installation

We guide you on how to raise a complaint against your installer if the system is not working properly or is not as described in their documentation to you. Go to complain about a heat pump installation

Hydrogen boilers

Hydrogen boilers don't exist and won't play a role in our low-carbon future. We explore why. Go to hydrogen boilers

High temperature heat pumps

A much better replacement of the gas boiler in many respects as they can run at higher temperatures and make use of our existing radiators. We review when they are suitable and who manufacturers them. Go to high temperature heat pumps.

Hybrid heat pumps

The Committee for Climate Change view hybrid heat pumps (a mix of heat pump and fossil fuel boiler) as an important stepping stone to decarbonising our homes. We explain how they work whether they still have a role to play with the advent of high temperature heat pumps as standrd. Got to hybrid boilers.

Domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI)

Homeowners and landlords can earn money back from the Government for fitting a qualifying renewable technology. We guide you in every aspect. Go to domestic RHI.

Electric boilers

Not strictly a renewable heat source, but they do have the capacity to use 100% renewable electricity sources. The UK government are including them in the mix for future heating systems in certain circumstances. Go to electric boilers.

The Future Homes Standard

The UK Government has set out some interim measures to improve insulation standards in new build homes by 2025. We review the proposals and highlight some obvious shortcomings. Go to Future Homes Standard.

Close the Gap campaign

To ignore the inefficiency of our existing gas boilers is to ignore some easy wins in reducing our fossil fuel consumption. We also cannot transition to renewable heating sources if we cannot get heating system design correct. We are campaigning for change for our Close The Gap Campaign.