Utility Week

20 | 22ND - 28TH JUNE 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets Comment Matt Hindle T hose of us who spend a lot of time thinking about the future of heating have to recognise, in our more reflective moments, that the topic is not at the front of most people's minds. That gives plenty of space for enthusiasts from various parts of industry to debate the merits of their solutions to the complex and tricky question of how we decarbonise the way we heat our homes, hot water, businesses and industrial processes. The downside is that it is all too easy to lose sight of what consumers want from their heating system in the first place. In May this year, the Energy Networks Asso- ciation decided to work with polling company YouGov to find out what consumers think is important about the way they heat their homes and hot water now, and what they view as important if they look to change that in the future. When thinking about how their home is currently heated, 93 per cent of people think that it is important that the way they do so is cost effective – that will come as little surprise to anyone. But digging down a little more into attitudes provides some interesting detail. Almost 9 out of 10 (89 per cent) of people think it is important that their home heating is able to provide instant heat and hot water, and 84 per cent believe that it is important that they are able to control that at short notice. Practical considerations are impor- tant too, with 71 per cent of respond- ents saying that it is important that their current system takes up minimal space. Sixty-eight per cent believe that it is important that it has a small carbon footprint. Although having a small carbon footprint may not score as highly as other factors, 75 per cent of people support the government doing more to prioritise the production and use of domestic green gas here in the UK over fossil fuel gas that is imported from abroad, mirroring the high levels of public support that we've seen for renewable electricity genera- tion in recent years. With enough biomethane capacity on our gas distribution networks to heat about 330,000 average homes without any change to their systems or behaviour, green gas is already providing a quiet revolu- tion in UK heating. When asked to think about how they might change the way they heat their homes in the future, nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of consumers believe that the cost of energy was the most important factor, but 78 per cent believe it is important to have the ability to switch energy supplier. So, what does this all mean? The biggest challenge facing the government in decarbonising heat is that many of the solutions pro- posed will require changes at a domestic level in a way that simply hasn't been required for the decarbonisation of electricity. Part of the reason ministers have grappled with the question of heat decarbonisation policy for so long is the political challenges it will create. If the government is to maintain credibility and political support for decarbonisation policies, then solu- tions have to meet public expectations. Those policies have to be not only cost effective and convenient – they must deliver decarbonisation in the least disruptive way possible and maintain the extremely high reliability that customers have been used to for decades, even in the harshest winters. Our energy networks have a vital role to play in pro- viding that. Network operators are committed to creating a cleaner, smarter, more flexible and more efficient energy system. Evolving both our gas and electricity networks to help decarbonise our economy could save consumers as much as £214 billion by 2050 compared with an alternative scenario that consists of full or near- full electrification. A whole-system approach based on the decarbonisa- tion of both our gas and electricity networks and the integrated use of new technology will not only help deliver these savings – it will also create a platform for a whole range of different low-carbon heating products for consumers to choose from, while enabling them to continue to choose the energy vector and supplier best suited to meet their needs. Having that choice will be key if we are to have a government policy that retains public support for decar- bonising heat. Matt Hindle, head of gas, Energy Networks Association "If the government is to maintain credibility and support for decarbonisation policies, solutions have to meet public expectations."

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