Mark Wilkins, director of technologies and training at Vaillant and Steve Richmond, head of marketing and technical at Rehau
Mark Wilkins, director of technologies and training at Vaillant said: “We welcome this bold and ambitious target from the UK Government. Climate change is a huge concern and we need to work together to ensure we strive to reduce our carbon emissions. In the UK we know that 31% of household emissions comes from central heating, so as a leading manufacturer of heating and hot water solutions, we need to take action now for a more sustainable future.
“It is crucial that the Government ensures the eagerly anticipated Heat and Buildings Strategy aligns with this new announcement in order to help us reach various other targets such as 600,000 heat pump units in 2028.
'We are already working with trade associations to develop new training courses, but we still need a way to encourage installers to upskill and increase the awareness amongst consumers. Moving towards this new target, there is now a real opportunity to introduce stable, longer-term incentives and clearly defined communication channels to educate homeowners on low carbon solutions. We look forward to receiving further details on the 78% carbon emissions reduction and working with the Government and trade associations to help successfully deliver on this agenda.”
Steve Richmond, head of marketing and technical at Rehau UK said: “It is welcome news to see that the Government has enshrined in law their target to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 following the recommendations outlined in the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) sixth carbon budget. As development in the construction sector continues to accelerate, delivering sustainable and efficient buildings will be crucial to achieving this and the later 2050 net-zero targets.
“Crucial to this development will be the decarbonisation of space heating for residential and commercial buildings. The easiest win in the short term is improving energy efficiency on both existing and new build and, for this, developers and specifiers have a variety of low carbon heating options.
“At present, the focus should be on low carbon district heating schemes using large scale heat pumps or waste heat sources or individual heat pumps for buildings. This is reflected in last year’s ten-point plan pledge to install 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028 and the sixth carbon budget’s recommendation that heat pump sales must reach 1m by 2030, with 5.5m installed.
“With the Future Home Standard now confirmed for 2025, the onus will be on new build developers and contractors to provide low carbon heat to stand a chance of reaching this 2035 target. With lower flow temperatures conducive to large centralised heat pumps, fourth and fifth generation district heating networks represent a real solution for the new build sector to provide future-proof, sustainable heat.
“According to research in our report, Designing Healthy Apartments, sustainability will be the most important factor when it comes to designing buildings according to 520 M&E Contractors and Architects. With this in mind, it is crucial that there are technologies available to support contractors and consultants in this environmentally-friendly development. The responsibility falls not only to those professionals but also to the suppliers, which is why REHAU is committed to putting sustainability first with all of its building services solutions.
“We eagerly await the BEIS Heat in Buildings Strategy launch expected soon to give some guidance as to what policy will ensure this low carbon progress is made. It’s key that the Government now address the implementation of these policies and review what incentives may be needed to meet their green targets. REHAU are committed to supporting the building services and construction industry in meeting these targets and policies, and will continue to carry out research and develop innovative, sustainable solutions.”