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31% of UK energy consumption is for space heating (2013) [1]

Gas dominates the fuel mix for space heating and hot water purposes.
Carbon emissions from fossil fuels are taking us closer to irreversible impacts from climate change.

What is the next step to reduce our carbon emissions from heating?

A variety of solutions can work together to reduce heating energy consumption in domestic homes

Insulation and Airtightness

The amount of energy which can be saved by insulating will depend on the a range of factors:

Type of building: terrace, detached etc
Type and thickness of insulation
Thermal bridging or thermal bypass
Air tightness strategy and sealing of unwanted gaps to outside
The method and quality of installation work

Performance Gap
Many houses do not achieve their calculated savings in practise. The passivhaus approach can help to reduce this [2].

Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery

A ventilation system with heat recovery provides fresh air close to room temperature so that windows can be closed during the heating season.

Humidity is removed from Kitchen, bathrooms. Air change keeps humidity in the right range 40-60% RH.
Supply of oxygen to bedrooms and removal of CO2 for good sleep quality, concentration and air quality.
Background removal of Volatile Organic Compounds from cleaning products etc which are harmful to human health.

Solar PV

Solar Panels can generate low carbon electricity and reduce running consumption. They work best with the following:

- Adequate roof space
- South, east or west facing roof
- Very little or no shading from trees or obstructions

Seasonal Mismatch
Solar energy peaks in the summer but electricity consumption peaks during the winter. Excess electricity can be exported to the grid.

Air Source Heat Pump

Since 2007 installed wind power capacity in the UK has grown from 2 GW to 21.7 GW in 2018[3]. This huge growth in renewable energy together has dramatically changed the carbon intensity of grid electricity.

This means that using electricity for space heating is now an increasingly low carbon option and technologies like heat pumps can offer huge carbon savings compared to a gas boiler.

An air source heat pump can replace a gas boiler providing space heating via a wet central heating system and hot water with a stored hot water cylinder.

[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/386858/Estimates_of_heat_use.pdf

[2] https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/UserFiles/File/Technical%20Papers/2020%2006_Passivhaus%20and%20the%20Performance%20Gap_University%20of%20Bath_Rachel%20Mitchell%20and%20Sukumar%20Natarajan.pdf

[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics. Regional Statistics 2003-2018: Installed Capacity

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