WIREDGOV

The Climate Change Committee yesterday published its advice to government on the next steps to achieving a decarbonised UK by 2050, and it aligns closely with recommendations on the electrification of heating and transport which the Commission made in its own recommendations to government in the second National Infrastructure Assessment.

In its evidence setting the levels for the Seventh Carbon Budget, the CCC notes that electrification of the economy will make up 60% of carbon emission reductions up to 2040. This includes decarbonising the electricity grid and replacing cars and gas boilers with electric alternatives: electric vehicles and heat pumps. Delivering against this pathway would, the CCC says, lead to energy bills £700 cheaper than those today, with similar reductions in the cost of household driving costs. It also notes that decarbonising the country’s energy systems will mean average household energy bills will be much less sensitive to future energy shocks.

Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, said in response:

“The CCC is right to say that the path ahead is clear. The future is electrified and government needs to get on and deliver it. As our second National Infrastructure Assessment showed, electric vehicles and heat pumps will decarbonise the economy, lower bills and deliver greater energy security.

“But for this to happen, government must now put in the hard yards and enable the transition. Making electricity cheaper relative to gas is essential to enabling the switch to heat pumps – that should be its top priority. And there needs to be sustained financial and non-financial support to help households make the switch, especially for those on lower incomes.”

In its second National Infrastructure Assessment published in October 2023, the Commission’s recommendations to government on decarbonising energy and reaching net zero included:

• Government should not support the roll out of hydrogen heating
• Support for 7 million buildings in England to switch to a heat pump or heat network by 2035 through providing £7,000 of subsidy per property to install a heat pump, along with zero per cent financing to up front installation costs above the subsidy
• Government should commit to long term funding to deliver low carbon heat in the public sector estate and in the social housing sector, with additional support for families on lower incomes to make the switch.
• Taking policy costs off electricity bills and ensuring the cost of running a heat pump is lower that the cost of running a fossil fuel boiler
• Government should accelerate the deployment of electric vehicle charge points to reach the 2030 target of 300,000 installations, to ensure these keeps pace with EV car sales.