Information for customers
Home heating
The energy industry is leading the transition to net zero homes, and many energy companies, including retail companies, provide information on the products and services that they offer on their websites.
Replacing the UK’s fossil fuel heating systems with low-carbon technologies must become an infrastructure priority if we are to protect UK households from volatile international gas prices, lower energy bills, and boost energy security, all while supporting economic growth in the UK and new jobs.
Home heating represents 17% of the UK’s total emissions output
Moving away from fossil fuel heating will not only help reduce energy bills for customers, but it will also help the UK make progress to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in line with the Climate Change Committee’s ‘Balanced Pathway’.
Heat pumps
Heat pumps, for example air source heat pumps or ground source heat pumps, are a viable and popular alternative to current fossil fuel heating systems. They work by extracting heat from either the air or the ground, and then distributing this heat through radiators. Heat pumps typically operate at a lower temperature than gas boilers (for example 55°C, in line with Building Regulations) and are highly efficient, circulating around 3 times the amount of heat around the home for every unit of electricity used. Heat pumps also produce hot water.
The Government-funded Electrification of Heat project has demonstrated that there is no property type or architectural era that is unsuitable for a heat pump, ‘from Victorian mid-terraces to pre-WWII semis and a 1960s block of flats’.
This technology can help to significantly reduce the UK’s gas consumption, with analysis by Nesta showing that each installation of a heat pump cutting home gas use by at least 70%.
If all 23 million homes with gas boilers switched to a heat pump, the savings in wholesale gas costs would be equivalent to around 1.2% of GDP
Find out more about the benefits of Heat Pumps:
- Heat pumps can operate with high efficiency in temperatures down to -6 °C. According to Energy Systems Catapult heat pumps are three times more efficient than gas boilers. You can find out about heating system efficiency in the Heating Hub’s boiler efficiency guide and energy saving tips.
- Heat pumps are expected to meet 80% of space heating demand by 2050 under the Climate Change Committee’s ‘Balanced Net Zero Pathway’.
- Analysis by the former Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) estimates that 80% of homes off the gas grid are already suitable to have a heat pump installed.
- Heat pumps emit the same noise levels as a fridge freezer or existing gas boiler, but are situated outside. Research conducted on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero found that ‘sound emissions from heat pumps were not reported as noticeable’.
There are other individual unit low-carbon technologies available for households or building owners seeking to decarbonise their heating, and access cheaper energy bills at the same time. These technologies can include:
- Biomass boilers – a boiler that burns logs, pellets or chips, and connects to a central heating and hot water system.
- Heat batteries – modern energy stores that release heat slowly into the home, and which are charged up when electricity is cheap.
- The energy industry is continuously innovating in new products and services that help customers access low-carbon and affordable heating.
Financial support is available for people wanting to upgrade their heating
The UK Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants of up to £7,500 for eligible households in England and Wales installing an air source heat pump or ground source heat pump, and £5,000 for a biomass boiler. The Scottish Government also offers interest-free loans to households seeking to make their property more efficient. Households in Northern Ireland can access information from the Government about heat pumps.
Consumers can check if their home is suitable for a heat pump by using the UK Government’s online assessor tool.
Visit a heat pump
Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good, has launched a ‘Visit a heat pump’ service which helps people to visit a heat pump near their home. Households interested in installing a heat pump can gain first-hand experience by booking a visit to see a heat pump in action and learn more about what it’s like to have one from heat pump owners and installers.
Requesting your gas meter to be capped
If a customer has electric heating and cooking installed in their home, and has no existing or future use for a gas supply, then they can have their gas meter is capped, which means they will no longer be liable to pay a standing charge for maintaining the gas connection.
There are a number of steps that the customer will need to take in order to arrange for their meter to be capped, and this involves contacting their energy supplier in the first instance. Energy customers can find their gas and electricity supplier following the instructions on Ofgem’s website
The steps are as follows:
- Step 1: Customers should contact their energy supplier. Energy suppliers are responsible for gas meters and are required to cap the gas meter if their customer requests this of them.
- A supplier may ask the customer a few additional questions about their circumstances, and whether they require a temporary pause in supply, or a permanent cap. The supplier will also need to assess whether the supply can be capped at the meter, or if the supply between the street and the house needs to be removed entirely (see Step 3).
- Step 2: The work will then be booked in with an engineer on the next available date.
- There is variation among suppliers over whether a fee is charged for this service. Some suppliers currently offer this service free of charge. Some suppliers will charge a fee depending on the type of meter that is being capped.
- Step 3: If a new gas meter is not fitted within 12 months, the gas distribution network operator (GDNO) will contact the property owner. If the pipe is no longer needed, the gas distribution network operator might carry out additional work to determine if the pipe needs to be removed too.
- Pipes made of metal will usually be disconnected unless they supply gas to your neighbours. The gas distribution network operator may leave plastic pipes in place and live. There is no risk of corrosion, and they may be required in the future. If the pipe is disconnected, it will be disconnected as close to the gas main as possible and more than 12 months after the meter is removed by your energy supplier. Your gas distribution network operator will not charge for this type of disconnection. Further information can be found at www.energynetworks.org
- If there are home improvements that require pipes to be removed then the consumer will have to contact their gas network. If the GDNO needs to remove any pipes if they are not needed post meter removal, as per their visit after 12 months, then this is free.
Tenants in privately rented properties or social housing should speak to their landlord or managing agent regarding having their gas supply capped.
Heat networks
Heat networks, or district heating, are a cost-effective solution for delivering heat in densely populated urban areas where demand for heating is high. Heat networks can serve domestic, public and commercial properties which means that the costs for installing and running the heat network can be shared among a large number of consumers.
Heat networks can be powered by a range of low and zero carbon heat sources, and even waste heat from other industrial processes, which means they represent a ‘no regrets’ technology. Heat networks are a system of underground insulated pipes that transport heat from this single source to connected buildings. They work by providing hot water directly into homes, and some networks can also provide cooling in the hotter months as well.
This technology has been used for many years in cities around the world, and is being constructed in communities across the UK. As heat networks tend to serve a large number of buildings, they are often delivered through partnerships between the private and public sectors.
For more information, read our blog on heat networks and what a roadmap may look like for their scaling-up.
Hydrogen boilers
There is ongoing research and development, supported by Government, into the viability and effectiveness of hydrogen boilers and what their potential role could be in our future energy system. This technology is not currently available to customers. The Government will soon make a strategic decision on the role of hydrogen in home heating. The Climate Change Committee sees ‘no role for hydrogen in buildings heating’.
