Clean Power through Retrofit and Home Electrification!
Whilst many have doubted that Labour’s renewable energy ambitions were deliverable, ‘Clean Power 2030: Advice on achieving clean power for Great Britain by 2030’, the new report by the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) demonstrates that - at a stretch and with caveats - it is achievable and can even reduce costs for consumers.
Whilst most of the report’s focus is on new wind turbines, it also makes clear that energy efficiency, the heat pump roll-out and basic insulation measures are key to the success of the plan.
Transitioning to a clean electricity generation system at such speed is highly ambitious and needs new renewable energy sources, more grid infrastructure and more flexibility systems. But a move towards clean electricity is a move away from dirty fossil fuels - that means more gas boilers swapped for heat pumps (600,000 a year by 2028) and more petrol and diesel car journeys switching to walking, cycling, public transport and EVs. This all adds up to higher demand for electricity!
To meet the clean energy target whilst catering for increased need, ‘demand reduction’ measures are required. This means we need to make our homes well insulated and airtight so we can heat them more effectively at the lower flow temperatures that make both heat pumps and most modern gas boilers more efficient and affordable to run. We also need to install more efficient lighting and electrical devices around the home. The report predicts that retrofit is set to contribute towawards 2.5 TWh of annual electricity demand saving in 2030; this reduces electricity demand for residential heat by 11%.
The number of new wind turbines is dictated by the ‘peak load’, the highest level of energy demand needed across a year - imagine the coldest day of the year when homes want heating, the lights and a washing machine all on! Retrofit and energy efficiency work help to make this peak load lower - and in turn the target - more achievable.
To meet the clean energy target whilst catering for increased need, ‘demand reduction’ measures are required. This means we need to make our homes well insulated and airtight so we can heat them more effectively at the lower flow temperatures that make both heat pumps and most modern gas boilers more efficient and affordable to run.
Electrification begins at home!
At People Powered Retrofit, we believe that ‘Home Electrification’ should be an increasing part of the messaging we use around retrofit and the energy transition. Home Electrification is big news in the United States with lots of organisations (such as Rewiring America) supporting the approach which involves decoupling from gas and oil, upgrading consumer units and wiring where necessary, adopting induction hobs, slow cookers and heat pumps, sensibly reducing demand through air tightness and insulation, ventilating for health and installing PV panels.
Home Electrification helps us achieve clean power by 2030, but it also helps improve and modernise our homes. In the face of mounting evidence that burning gas in homes is damaging and wood burning stoves contribute to poor air quality, switching our cooking and heating to electricity can improve our health and wellbeing. Home Electrification isn’t opposed to retrofit, it’s a different way to think about it and a different way to articulate the benefits it brings to the wider energy system.
In the context of the NESO report we at People Powered Retrofit have some recommendations for policy makers and others in the sector:
The transition needs to be a collective endeavour with all onboard. This means involving people and communities in the process and demonstrating tangible benefits.
We need to push on with Labour’s Warm Homes Plan to deliver the sustained benefits of insulation and energy efficiency for everyone.
In order to ensure the benefits of demand reduction are realised, we think we need a national retrofit strategy with a One-Stop Shop programme and an emphasis on local and regional retrofit co-operatives that understand their area.
We need a national campaign around Home Electrification, to help people understand the benefits and how they can decouple their homes from gas and oil.
Though the Clean Energy Plan feels like an unprecedented and groundbreaking ambition, the move away from gas and other fossil fuels mirrors the role out of gas networks in the 1960s and 1970s, when a street based approach saw the roll out the benefits of gas central heating to many. It’s proof that we can make the paradigm shifts necessary to tackle the challenges of climate change with social and technical innovation.
