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Richard Lowes Profile picture
Richard Lowes
@heatpolicyrich
Independent energy policy analysis - heating/gas specialist. Team lead@RegAssistProj. Fellow @exeterepg & @energyinstitute. Advisor to @scotgov
May 24, 2024 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
Today, just in the nick of time, the @CommonsEAC has published its report into the sustainable electrification of the economy. It's a dense report and makes a number of recommendations. It is required reading for the next government 🧵. It's been an absolute honour for me to have been working as a specialist advisor with the EAC, a powerful cross departmental select committee, and I'm very grateful for the appointment and original proposal. There is clearly a lot that needs to be resolved.
Jan 22, 2024 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
ICYMI, Worcester Bosch, UK's largest manufacture of gas and oil boilers last week announced a £3000 support package for heat pumps subject to the introduction of the Clean Heat Market Mechanism.

But has this company really changed course so dramatically? I think not (thread). Image This company, along with the other boiler manufacturers has been against this policy from the outset. Their trade body has, and continues to call it a 'soviet style' policy.
Nov 20, 2023 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
🚨New briefing🚨

'Blowing hot and cold - Reflecting the potential value of air-to-air heat pumps in UK energy policy.'

It considers the potential role of air-to-air heat pumps in decarbonising homes in Great Britain and how policy might support them 🧵

raponline.org/knowledge-cent…
Image This is NOT straightforward. Air to water heat pumps are much simpler from a policy perspective. Air-to-air systems are extremely heterogeneous, going from a single room unit you can buy online and plug in, to a whole house heating, cooling and hot water solution.
Aug 27, 2023 • 9 tweets • 1 min read
Heating and eating. The similarities between the two sectors and the issues at play are insane. And I'm wondering if thinking about them together can help stimulate some action🧵 Inefficient buildings losing energy = third of the food produced ending up as waste.
Aug 2, 2023 • 14 tweets • 4 min read
NEW BRIEFING JUST OUT

Decompression: Policy and regulatory options to manage the gas grid in a decarbonising UK

TLDR: As we decarbonise heating, the gas networks represent a significant liability for UK plc, and the sooner we act the better. 🧵
https://t.co/B18RRPWelXraponline.org/knowledge-cent…
Image For a short written version you can check out this blog I wrote for @GreenAllianceUK but the briefing is rich with detail
Jun 28, 2023 • 16 tweets • 6 min read
Heat pumps are rightly a focus of today's progress report from @theCCCuk. The tone of the buildings chapter (5) of the report is also rightly critical as commitments and plans have not come to fruition despite the development of a heat and buildings strategy 🧵 For buildings '77% of the required emissions reduction by the Sixth Carbon Budget [2033 to 2037] period [are] judged to be either at significant risk or with insufficient plans'

Of course any further delays may the risks even higher.
May 12, 2023 • 22 tweets • 8 min read
The UK government is currently consulting on the proposed 'Clean Heat Market Mechanism' (closes 8th June).

It has the potential to be a very important industrial and energy policy.

But what exactly is it? 🧵 Image In simple terms, it's a scheme which requires manufactures of fossil fuel heating systems AKA boiler manufacturers, to sell a certain amount of heat pumps. A form of a mechanism we @RegAssistProj call 'Clean Heat Standards' raponline.org/knowledge-cent…
Apr 24, 2023 • 14 tweets • 5 min read
New policy brief from myself and @janrosenow of @RegAssistProj on what running costs of hydrogen being used for heating are expected to be in the UK and why the government should consider withdrawing from H₂ heat R and D efforts and focus elsewhere 🧵
raponline.org/knowledge-cent… We know already that the system wide costs of hydrogen compare poorly to those of electrification. @janrosenow's famous meta-study remains the go to piece on this sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
Mar 1, 2023 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
New briefing from me on live UK proposals to mandate 'hydrogen ready' boilers from 2025.

TLDR: Potential downsides far outweigh possible/limited upsides. Put decision on hold and align with 2026 decision on gas grid/hydrogen. Work on heat planning (1/n).

raponline.org/knowledge-cent… A 'hydrogen-ready' boiler, in theory could, if any area was ever converted to hydrogen, very slightly simplify the process and reduce appliance stranding. Components would be swapped rather than the whole appliance replaced. Lots of other changes still a requirement though.
Feb 15, 2023 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
Despite the importance of hydrogen for decarbonisation (primarily of industry), there are still some fundamentals that do not always seem to be appreciated by policy maker and which are ignored by much of the incumbent gas industry but which need to be considered.

(Thread) 1. Hydrogen is precious.

It takes resource and energy to produce and has most value in a pure form for transport, industrial and chemical processes. Dumping it into existing gas infrastructure to be burnt eliminates that value.
Feb 3, 2023 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
The story about British Gas breaking into the homes of clearly vulnerable customers is as I said, one of the most disgusting stories I've ever read and I'm getting more pissed off. For context the article is here: archive.ph/NliNw (angry rant thread) The only response to this story is outrage. People in the most vulnerable circumstances having houses broken into, to change a meter. Obviously unethical -but how is this legal? This could be a person with mental or physical illness - unable to even react.
Jan 10, 2023 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
Clearly this isn't the 'drop in solution' that has been described for years. But there are some things covered in this article I'm genuinely angry about (1/8).

hydrogeninsight.com/policy/a-campa… 1. Hydrogen cookers/hobs. Just give up. Of all of the bits of hydrogen that are most stupid, surely this is it? But still they push. Induction hobs are efficient, safe and very easy to clean. It's could actually be a good part of the offer! (2/8).
Jan 9, 2023 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
I have become obsessed with how offshore wind is transforming the UK energy system and how the world's largest rotating machines will be cheaply and cleanly heating and powering all of our homes in the future. And you should be obsessed too (thread). There is now 14GW of OSW in operation and another 14GW due to come online by 2027. UK peak demand during the beast from the east was 53GW, yesterday's lowest demand was 25GW. 28GW of offshore wind by 2027 is a huge lump of supply. renewableuk.com/page/UKWEDhome…
Dec 23, 2022 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
In 2019 I wrote this: A heat and buildings decarbonisation policy framework for a zero carbon UK. So how are we doing on the 12 steps? richardlowes.com/2019/08/09/a-h… 1. We need a national conversation about heat.

Congratulations to Vladimir (evil fossil fuels) and the gas industry (hydrogen trials) for really getting this going! We still need some centralised comms but this has been a busy year for heating and the media. 6/10 🫢
Nov 29, 2022 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Beyond the big ticket items, like grant support, energy pricing, regulations, there is a minutiae of micro-rules which limit heat pump deployment in the UK/England. Mostly these are a result of incumbency and rules being set for gas and combustion. A list: feel free to add. Planning permission for heat pumps. The 1m away from adjoining wall requirements and limits in conservation areas. Deregulation needed. planningportal.co.uk/permission/com…
Nov 2, 2022 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
Tom has asked me, @janrosenow and @DrSimEvans for some thoughts on barriers to electrification. So here's my attempt. My first point though is that decarbonising heat will be extraordinarily difficult, particularly in the way UK energy is currently governed (centralised). I'd also add that while I think in general the move towards electrification is the only way to go, there is also a huge role for local energy planning and urban heat networks retrofitting gas grid. FWIW I think Ofgem should regulate gas grids into this. But also difficult.
Oct 18, 2022 • 12 tweets • 5 min read
And at the stroke of midnight, the new UK hydrogen for heating campaign was launched. First, here's mine and @DavidCebon's long read on why burning hydrogen for heat is very poor environmentally, socially and economically: rechargenews.com/energy-transit…
Second, a 🧵on who/why/what. Who? Well they are a group of primarily gas network and appliance manufacturing businesses plus a supplier (known for gas) and a transport interest. Pretty much the same group my academic analysis pointed out were resisting electrification back around 2019 sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
Aug 29, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Great to see these 2017 Passivhauses looking fully lived in. Electrified with PV and mechanical ventilation + heat recovery, these will be some of the people in the UK, best protected from the energy crisis. To think people lobbied and continue to lobby against such standards 🧵 They're in Hayle, Cornwall and I did a tour with students while they were being built. I remember thinking 'none of this is rocket science' but all all it took was a progressive developer. There's a policy message there! premierconstructionnews.com/2017/03/07/fai…
Aug 12, 2022 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
Every so often someone who has very little energy expertise comes along and says how terrible energy policy is cos things are currently bad. A, it's been this Lord's government in power for 12 years and B, when the new PM gets into position, the facts will still be the facts🧵 Those facts being that 1 the current crisis is all about gas prices and the squeeze on supply. To not accept this is either ignorance or some weird anti-renewables dogma I don't quite understand.
Aug 11, 2022 • 11 tweets • 5 min read
A short thread on the rapidly transforming economics of building based renewables in the UK, levies and market reform..... The proposed removal of levies from bills could provide a small nudge towards electrification as levies are currently loaded onto electricity. Based on Investec price cap numbers for Oct 22, a dual fuel household would see a reduction of £153 annually, an electrified house, £280.
Jun 1, 2022 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
I've been asked to comment on some new analysis from ecotricity on grass based biomethane. TLDR, I'm still extremely sceptical and this sort of targeted analysis ignores whole system impacts. Whole system modelling needed here (thread).
The press release is particularly salesy. Big headline cost number uses an unfair comparison of certain capital costs, suggests big bill increases with heat pumps (unlikely), suggests removing need for efficiency upgrades (😬), suggests 'scrapping' gas appliances.