Madeleine Gabriel, director of sustainable future at Nesta, has responded to the latest advice to the government by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in its seventh Carbon Budget.
Madeleine said: “The Climate Change Committee’s latest advice unveils a robust pathway to net zero at lowest cost. It is clear that heat pumps are the most cost-effective way to cut carbon pollution from UK homes.
“Net Zero is within the UK’s grasp only if home heating is tackled in the right way. The CCC has provided much-needed clarity about the solutions, but the government must not miss the boat in delivering the policies and programmes needed to make this happen – including the three million heat pumps and low-carbon heating systems that need to be installed in this Parliament.
“We have clear direction now, including that hydrogen is not viable for home heating, and the UK cannot afford more years of consultations, pilots and stalling. The most important first step is for the government to focus on ways to make electricity cheaper, such as by rebalancing the levies that artificially push electricity bills up.”