Following the agreement from COP28 that “we need to transition away” from fossil fuels, Tamsin Lishman, CEO of The Kensa Group, has shared her reaction.
Tamsin said: “The agreement to end the era of fossil fuels and “transition away” from coal, oil and gas is a vital outcome of COP28. Kensa has been developing and delivering solutions to achieve this over the past 25 years. Today, we have a proven blueprint for mass-scale decarbonisation of heat and a just transition with networked heat pumps, which the UK is pioneering, and countries across the globe can replicate to make COP28 the year the world turns its back on fossil fuels.
“Heating homes contributes nearly half of all energy consumption globally and 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. The UK is in a prime position to lead the way on decarbonising heat. It is moving in the right direction to deliver ambitious emission reduction targets following yesterday’s Future Homes Standard announcement to make heat pumps and low-carbon heat networks the default option for new homes, effectively banning new gas grid connections and so-called hydrogen-ready boilers from installation.
“Networked ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) ease consumers’ transition to decarbonised heat at scale. At home, consumers have an innovative microwave-sized heat pump in a cupboard that provides hot water and heating. In the street, homes connect to pipes, paid for, owned and maintained by utility companies providing heat from the ground to homes. Consumers pay a small monthly connection fee, like with gas today.”