Sustaining the heat policy debate during a turbulent period

As Covid-19 developments rightly dominate national news and headlines, I was positively surprised to see the Observer running an informed piece on domestic heat decarbonisation this Saturday. The Observer coverage was rounded offering diverse views on the role and potential of hydrogen as an option for decarbonising how we heat our homes.

It was refreshing to see that the journalist sought out views from engineering experts and academics specialising in heat policy; although a politician recently said that ‘people have had enough of experts’, it is expert opinion that we time and time again lean on when taking complex and important societal decisions. We have seen this with Covid-19 as politicians increasingly rely on evidence and subject expertise; in that sense heat decarbonisation is no different.

It was also positive to see the positions of a boiler market leader and a gas distributor captured. Oftentimes, within the climate change debate, the positions taken by industry are seen as an effort to promote their interests and perpetuate the market. Of course, in a market-based society, companies pursue self-interest otherwise they seize to exist. It is the role of policy makers to impartially set objectives based on evidence and many of the winning solutions could well come from industry incumbents and that should be welcome.

Although it will be imperative that the effort to counter Covid-19 remains the focus of government within the coming months, as an avid follower of heat policy I think it is important that the debate on heat decarbonisation does not lose steam. Each time this has happened in the past, it has been subsequently very difficult to re-energise policy makers and get them interested in ambitious policy innovation.

That means continued effort from industry, the supply chain and experts to convey evidence and encourage government to continue taking heat decarbonisation seriously (domestic heat is a sector that hasn’t responded well to policy signals with the technology mix remaining broadly stable between 2010-19 so action is needed). It also means that policy makers continue to remain open to evidence and follow through with their work on various heat policy strands including the much-anticipated ‘Heat and Buildings Strategy’.

Covid-19 is a big threat that needs to be tackled over the next months using evidence, information flow, technology innovation and timely government intervention. Heat decarbonisation will be a protracted 30-year effort that will benefit from the same tools - it is important not to lose sight of this major challenge.