Heating manufacturer Baxi is calling for a shake-up of the home heating industry with business and the government working to bring about a green energy revolution.
Baxi says there has been “painfully slow progress” by industry and the government in bringing about a roll-out of green energy technologies across the UK's existing housing stock.

In its report 'Sustainable Home Heating; It's time for a step change' Baxi outlines the heating technologies it believes can and should be rolled out across the UK’s housing stock in the next decade in order for the UK government to meet its carbon reduction targets.

Heating homes currently accounts for 27% of the UK's total CO2 emissions.

Baxi calls out for the use of technologies such as solar thermal, ground and air source heat pumps, biomass and micro-CHP.

A spokesman for Baxi said “The heating industry needs a radical shake-up if it is ever to play a role in meeting the UK’s carbon emissions reduction targets. With sales of microgeneration products each year at just a few thousand, for too long heating manufacturers have waited for government to make the definitive move in regulating and incentivising change”.

He added “The hoped for sales increases in domestic sustainable energy products have not materialised. The report shows that government must adopt a more ambitious approach but equally industry must lose the desire to maintain 'business as usual'”.

In its report Baxi states government and industry should work to can bring about policies for green heating technologies including the implementation of a financial incentives package.

The heating manufacturer argues real changes will only take place in the UK if householders are fully rewarded for producing renewable and low carbon energy, heat and electricity.

The report highlights incentives that:

• rewards householders for all of the renewable and low carbon energy that they produce, both for heat and electricity,
• ensures that for relevant technologies, such as micro-CHP, the level of the reward reflects the true value of, and carbon intensity of, grid provided electricity at the time in which microgeneration occurs,
• can be capitalised into an upfront payment, which can then be used to offset the upfront cost of installation.

Baxi also called for greater emphasis on building consumer awareness and support for microgeneration, through increased funding for organisations such as the Energy Saving Trust and targeted installation of microgeneration within fuel poor households via a supplier obligation.

Baxi Group CEO, Mark Kelly, said 'For too long, sales of sustainable energy technologies in the UK have languished behind those of our European neighbours, yet the UK boiler replacement market is the largest in Europe. Yes, it is important to get the policy framework right, and we have included our own views on financial incentives and other issues within the report. But industry itself must take bold action and move forward”.