I have committed to publishing a Heat Policy Roadmap in 2020 which will set out the programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions in the first part of the 2020s over the future of low-carbon heating. BEIS officials will be working closely with stakeholders, and will be considering the impacts of different technologies on different segments of the market as they develop its content.

I have committed to publishing a Heat Policy Roadmap in 2020 which will set out the programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions in the first part of the 2020s over the future of low-carbon heating. BEIS officials will be working closely with stakeholders as they develop its content.

Following a commitment in the Clean Growth Strategy, we launched a Call for Evidence on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which closed in October 2018 with 229 responses which we are currently analysing. In the Call for Evidence we asked for views on the current EPC cost rating and the results will inform our views on future EPC policy.

I have committed to publishing a Heat Policy Roadmap in in 2020 which will set out the programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions in the first part of the 2020s over the future of low-carbon heating. BEIS officials will be working closely with stakeholders as they develop its content.

The annual running costs of a Band C rated home are £650 lower than the average Band E rated home. This is why we set out our aspiration in the Clean Growth Strategy that as many homes as possible should be EPC C Band C by 2035 where practical, cost effective and affordable. We estimate that between £35 - 65 billion of investment will need to be mobilised to meet that aspiration.

There is not one ‘silver bullet’ policy that will drive uptake of energy efficiency amongst homeowners and so we are committed to building a vibrant and sustainable market through introducing a suite of mutually supporting policies and measures. These include a £5 million innovation fund to help mortgage lenders develop innovative green mortgage products in support of home energy efficiency and a £10m innovation fund to reduce the cost of whole house retrofit. Low income and vulnerable households are also supported in making energy efficiency improvements under the reformed Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme. ECO is worth £640m a year and has already installed 2.5 million measures since 2013.

The Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme supports solar, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro-combined heat and power technologies. On the basis of installations on Ofgem’s central FIT register, solar is the most popular method of electricity generation accounting for 99% of all installations (over 830,000) supported under the scheme.

The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) supports biomass only boilers and biomass pellet stoves, air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels. The Domestic RHI has accredited over 69,000 applications for the residential microgeneration of heat. As of May 2019, air source heat pumps are the most popular method of heat microgeneration, making up 54% of total accredited applications. More deployment data can be found here.

It should be noted that there are some forms of microgeneration not covered by the RHI or FITs scheme.

The replacement of a heating system must always be carried out in accordance with Building Regulations. Replacing an existing appliance with a less carbon efficient one is not compliant with Building Regulations and any suspected breaches of this should be reported to Building Control in the appropriate Local Authority. Replacing a heating system with a higher carbon option will not be given as a recommended measure to improve the building’s rating on an EPC as this would be contrary to Building Regulations.

The Domestic Buildings Services Compliance Guide (2013) provides further information on this: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/697525/DBSCG_secure.pdf.

We are considering the responses to our call for evidence on EPCs and will respond in due course.

The Government commissioned an assessment on the potential for low carbon hydrogen production with carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS). The assessment was conducted by the consultancies Element Energy and Jacobs.

Their report identified that for steam methane reformation, the current dominant UK hydrogen production technology, carbon capture rates of up to 90% could be achieved. It also states that next generation methane reformation technologies and further innovation could deliver increased capture rates and lower costs. To prove this, we launched a £20 million Hydrogen Supply Programme which aims to accelerate the development of low carbon bulk hydrogen supply solutions; the programme will provide real world evidence on the potential for increased capture rates.

In December 2018, we published the report ‘Clean growth: transforming heating’ which included a review of the evidence base on the potential carbon reductions if hydrogen produced from low carbon methods, including from natural gas combined with carbon capture utilisation and storage, is used to providing heating, including to homes, businesses and industry.

The electrification of heat, notably through heat pumps, can play a key role in decarbonizing heat, which is an essential step in meeting our carbon budgets. The Government is committed to supporting the deployment of heat pumps. Through the Renewable Heat Incentive we are spending £2.8bn between 2018/19 and 2020/21 to support innovative low carbon heat technologies in homes and businesses, including heat pumps.

The Government is currently developing the future policy framework for supporting low carbon heat, including through the Future Homes Standard announced by my. rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in February 2019. This will set standards through building regulations to drive uptake in low carbon heating.

Low consumer awareness and confidence in heat pumps also remain key issues. BEIS will launch a demonstration project on the electrification of heat in 2019, which will help demonstrate the feasibility of a possible large-scale transition to heat pumps and develop innovative solutions that work for a wide range of homes and consumers.

The Government is working to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission electric vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.

To achieve this, we are investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets.

The Road to Zero Strategy was published last year, it sets out a clear pathway to zero emissions, to give clarity and certainty to both industry and motorists.

The Government has gathered evidence on this point through its 2017 Boiler Plus consultation and continues to engage with heating installers on the development of possible future standards. We intend to consult on regulatory options for heat in buildings and will consider installation standards for low carbon heating as part of that consultation.

Interested parties have now been informed of the decision.

The decision on the ‘Under investigation’ marker in the product characteristics database is currently being considered. Interested parties will be informed of the outcome as soon as possible.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds high quality research and innovation as part of the Government’s wider ambition to increase the UK’s total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. UKRI works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish.

Current examples that relate to generating energy from waste include £1.7m from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council through the Global Challenges Research Fund for a project led by the University of Leeds to facilitate the production of biogas, clean water, and the recovery of nutrients, from nutrient rich waste.