Morning, Monday, 25th November 2024
Online
This conference will examine the way forward for energy efficiency in homes.
There will be a focus on assessing progress and discussing priorities for policy, regulation and industry, with the new Government signalling a change in direction for decarbonising home heating. It will be an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to consider the new Government’s Warm Homes Plan and what will be needed to reach proposed targets for all UK homes to have minimum EPC level C within a decade.
With commitments of more that £6bn to improve home energy efficiency, delegates will assess priorities for targeting funding, with discussion on proposals including low interest loans and grants to support home improvements such as insulation, solar panels or low carbon heating.
We expect discussion on how frameworks could be structured for implementing planned partnerships with local government and the financial and wider private sector for funding home and heating upgrades.
Implications for landlords and tenants in the private rented sector following the planned introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030 will also be discussed, including costs, responsibilities and the way forward for implementation.
Sessions in the agenda also include a focus on issues raised in the National Audit Office’s Decarbonising home heating report, published shortly before the general election, which expressed concerns around the transition plan to low carbon heating in homes as it stood then, including on progress, public awareness, cost issues, and uptake of heat pumps into UK homes. We are pleased to include a keynote session with NAO Audit Manager, Simon Bittlestone.
We are also pleased to be able to include further keynote sessions with: David Capper, Director, Clean Heat, DESNZ; and Richard Bellingham, Head, Heat Networks Implementation, Ofgem.
Delegates will consider the future for heat pump installation targets, with the Government planning to move forward with the Clean Heat Market Mechanism but no longer committed to the previous target of 600,000 installations a year by 2028. Areas for discussion include the future role of heat pumps, reporting on transition and providing certainty for the role of hydrogen in home heating before 2026, following the cancellation of trials.
Further sessions look at priorities for policy to establish and promote innovation and strong markets for low carbon heat technologies, the way forward for public information campaigns, as well as for supporting innovation, developing the green jobs market and fostering skills necessary for transition to low carbon heat.
Delegates will also assess the Government’s Clean Energy Mission and plans for lowering the cost of energy and increasing energy security, and how these plans will impact the decarbonisation of heat.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- Warm Homes Plan: what is needed for policy to reach targets - assessing proposed strategy and policies, their effectiveness and the way forward for implementation
- NAO report: key findings and recommendations - the future of progress reporting for the transition to low carbon heat - providing certainty for the role of hydrogen in home heating before 2026
- roll out of low carbon heat: policy priorities for implementing low carbon heat technologies - exploring the effectiveness of rewards and incentives - tackling practical and technical challenges for heat pump and network installation - reducing financial and practical burdens in the phase-out of fossil fuel heating
- Clean Heat Market Mechanism: assessing the impact of delays - supporting growth in the heat pump market - growing green jobs and skills - supporting education for consumers
- wider options for decarbonising heat: assessing trade-offs of heat pump installation, related to cost and environmental impact - supporting research and innovation - next steps for hydrogen in home heating - the role of effective insulation in the Government’s Warm Homes Plan
