ReWiRE Issues at the cutting edge of the energy transition – Heat and buildings

Wednesday 26 May
12.00-13.00

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ReWiRE held a lunchtime lowdown on the much-anticipated Heat and Buildings Strategy (HBS), expected imminently from government. The HBS will be the first of many expected strategies following the 10 Point Plan and National Infrastructure Strategy last autumn, all expected in the run up to COP26, raising the ambition on our domestic net zero agenda.

The pandemic has shown us the importance of home and having a safe, comfortable space. If we can reduce some of the barriers to the uptake of low carbon heat, there is a huge opportunity to bring more than just carbon savings, such as improved comfort, a smarter energy system, and new and engaging jobs in a growing sector.

In this session we heard from Adrienne Briggs, head of long-term heat transformation in the clean heat directorate at BEIS, who will talk us through the high level ambition in the strategy and the path to reaching our net zero and clean heat goals.

As decision makers in our own homes, we also explored the behaviour change needed to widely adopt these low carbon technologies.

ReWiRE events are free to attend, equipping women with the skills and knowledge to be at the forefront of our sector. Please support our work by signing up as a member of Regen or by sponsoring the network.

Regen has recently produced a number of papers on heat which might be worth a read ahead of the session:

• Decarbonising heat – The paper looks ahead at potential heat decarbonisation pathways including, the widespread electrification of heat supply and the use of clean hydrogen as an alternative low carbon heating fuel. The right solution, the paper argues, is likely to be a combination of heating solutions depending on local and regional factors, all of which need to be underpinned by much higher level of energy efficiency.
• Rethinking heat – A discussion paper that challenges policymakers to apply whole system thinking to ensure that increasing the deployment of heat pumps delivers value for consumers and the overall energy system.