Richard Lowes @heatpolicyrich Twitter profile

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Richard Lowes

10 months

Social media is weird. I made a short video of me to say a bit about who I am and what I do for work to try and make it all a bit more real 👇👇

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

11 months

It was a busy year last year but how did I miss Denmark setting out plans to remove all gas from homes by 2030, to be replaced with heat pumps and heat networks?

Denmark announces major plan to replace gas heating in homes

Around 50 percent of Danish households that are currently heated by natural gas will be converted to district heating by 2028.

www.thelocal.dk

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

11 months

Dear the BBC. Offering a prime time radio 4 slot on heat pumps to the UK's largest gas and oil boiler manufacturer and allowing them to spout industry propaganda unchallenged is probably part of the reason we are in such a mess with heating.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

On the current GB electricity generation mix, a modern air source heat pump installed in the UK will reduce GHG emissions by 74% and overall system fossil gas use by 81%. I find it quite offensive that people still lobby against this technology. (1/3)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

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 🧵

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

6 years

In case you haven't heard, Islington is doing a huge air source heat pump which extracts hot air from the tube. Heat then goes into local district heat network! And the tube gets (relatively) cooler!

Together Greener Islington

@IslingtonEnergy

6 years

Most of the big pieces of kit now in place at the new heat-from-the-tube energy centre #districtheating

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Gentle reminder that the @iea sees a ban on the sale of fossil fuel boilers in 2025 as a key milestone in its decarbonisation scenario.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

'Heat pumps won't work in old homes' warns UK's largest manufacturer of gas and oil boilers. This tweet from a Victorian 1895 terrace heated with a heat pump.

Heat pumps won’t work in old homes, warns Bosch

Much of Britain's Victorian housing stock is unsuitable for installing them, says Bosch

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

I've read some utter bullshit in my time but my goodness where to start.

The Telegraph

@Telegraph

8 months

🔴 Why heat pumps will never work in Britain Sky-high costs and ill-suited properties are putting paid to government rollout efforts

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 month

Heat pumps are ugly: a short walk

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

6 months

Have always been intrigued by how some people with zero scientific and climate credentials can be so arrogant to assume they understand things like climate. Just like covid. No scientific training, career in property and finance, telling the world about climate change.

Richard Tice 🇬🇧

@TiceRichard

6 months

CO2 isn't a poison. It's plant food! We need to challenge the climate change nonsense! #ticetake #climatechange #co2 #plantfood

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

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).

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

2 years of planning and years of talking is long enough. Fossil fuel heating should be banned from all new UK homes by 1st Jan 2024.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

27 years until the legal UK net zero date and gas pipes going into the ground here (as across the country) with a financial life of 45 years is indicative of the need for an energy governance rip-up and redesign amiright

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

The war against heat pumps continues. Total misinformation here or schoolboy incompetence. Reminiscent of the Telegraph campaigning against renewable electricity a decade ago. And look how that went 🤣.

jeremy warner

@JeremyWarnerUK

1 year

Heat pumps always were a technological cut-de-sac - expensive to run and generally unable to deliver the required heat. Electric - and possibly hydrogen - boilers are plainly the way to go

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

6 months

Heating is the biggest element of emissions for typical UK households. Switching to a heat pump, which reduces heating emissions currently by around two thirds, saves around 2 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum and is therefore one of the biggest climate impacts you can make.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

This is the heating industry equivalent of the water industry lobbying for maintaining sewage discharges to the sea. The centrality of heat pumps to any decarbonisation scenario, including the high gas ones, means EUA members are funding climate delay.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Burning hydrogen for heating compared to heat pumps and electrification is a poor option economically, environmentally, socially and thermodynamically. I have a new, fully referenced long-read with @DavidCebon just published in @rechargenews

'Wrong side of history' | Wake up to the hype around green hydrogen for heating

OPINION | No colour of H2 makes sense to decarbonise heating, and pretending otherwise risks delaying urgent action to slash emissions, write Richard Lowes and David Cebon

www.rechargenews.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

My conclusion to this ridiculous Sainsbury's beef mince affair is that a visit to a farm and an abattoir should be part of the national curriculum. So much cognitive dissonance.

'Honestly, some people': Internet divided over Sainsbury's beef mince packaging

The packing uses a minimum of 55% less plastic as the company hopes to work towards its goal of "halving its use of plastic packaging in own-brand products by 2025".

news.sky.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

Very difficult to see this vote as anything other than a (particularly) bad day for British democracy and the House of Commons. And politicians wonder why trust in them is so low. 😤

Adam Bienkov

@AdamBienkov

3 years

BREAKING: The House of Commons votes by 250 to 232 to overturn Conservative MP Owen Paterson’s suspension and rip up the Standards regime that found him guilty of breaking anti-corruption rules.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Absolutely loving that my @nationaltrust membership is helping to deliver some absolutely massive heat pumps in ancient buildings. "And if it works in a 500-year house, it could pretty much work anywhere."

What the road to net-zero means for some of Britain's oldest buildings

The National Trust has worked on more than 130 renewable energy projects over the past nine years, reducing reliance on fossil fuels as well as establishing its own green energy supply.

news.sky.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

4 months

I had a heat pump fitted. It killed my dog, left me bankrupt, ruined my marriage, alienated all my friends, led to my addiction to opioids and destroyed my house. My exclusive story coming out tomorrow. 😔

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

5 months

From a friend: A @BritishGas engineer is at our home today for an annual check up. Should we get a heat pump at some point when this stops working? “No, you don’t want to do that. Get one of the new Worcesters, they’re hydrogen compatible.” Greenwash continues.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

5 months

UK government casually adding £1.545 billion of funding for heat pumps this Monday morning.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

@BritishGas offering heat pumps for £4999 installed. Available with interest free credit (i.e. zero upfront cost) and a 5 year warranty.

British Gas offering heat pump installations for £4,999 to help customers lower their emissions

www.centrica.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

8 months

Gas provides 43% of the UK's energy 🙈 Half of it is imported 🙉 Wholesale gas prices exploded leading to shocks across the economy 🙊 NET ZERO DID IT!!! 🤥

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Geeks to the rescue!

Heat pumps: The 'geeks' obsessing over their new heating systems

More people are heating their homes with heat pumps and some are getting data obsessed.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

Very pleased to have been appointed by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee as Specialist Advisor for their inquiry into 'enabling sustainable electrification of the UK economy'. The next oral evidence session is planned for next week.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

So just how patriotic are heat pumps?🇺🇦🇬🇧 Well if I used gas to heat my house that would use about 11600kWh. My heat pump uses 2814kWh of electricity. With gas making 36.8% of the UK's 2021 grid mix assuming 50% power station efficiency: ✊I've reduced total gas use by 82%.✊

New Economy Organisers Network

@NEON_UK

2 years

The most sensible way we can reduce our exposure to the global gas market is to use less gas. In the UK we haven't got the basics right with draughty homes - and we could reduce gas use by a quarter if we sorted that out. @heatpolicyrich of @RegAssistProj

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

I genuinely don't understand why @bbcquestiontime gives these journalist come fauxlebrities a place in what is supposed to be a panel of national leaders. Eloquent audient comment responded to 'it's called weather' alongside a smirk.

BBC Question Time

@bbcquestiontime

2 years

“I think it’s a bit ridiculous to say that climate change is not as bad as is it. Did we not all experience this Summer where we got 40C heat?” This #bbcqt audience member urges the panel to take climate change seriously

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

'What we are saying, unambiguously, is that we do not see any role for hydrogen in the future of home heating.' UK National Infrastructure Commission 18th October 2023.

Low income UK homes ‘should be given free heat pumps’ to meet climate targets – but hydrogen ruled...

Advisers say government should cover cost of replacing gas boilers with pumps in more than 2m homes

www.theguardian.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

The gas industry has a huge amount to lose; there is no other explanation to this sort of trolling. If your job is supporting this sort of thing, or your employer is funding it, sort yourself out.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

It's amazing how cheap you can make hydrogen for heating look if you ignore the cost of the hydrogen.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Staggering stats from UK @NationalGridESO . Using electric resistive heating in 2022 was lower carbon that burning gas. An air source heat pump would have been around two thirds less carbon than gas.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Watch this without smiling! 😁

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Stonking package of energy efficiency and heat pump support measures released by the Government of Ireland. Looks like plans for around a 1/3 of all homes upgraded in the next decade, majority of those with a heat pump. Supported by 10 years of funding!

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Describe how a heat pump works in a single quote tweet. There's a prize for the best.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Heat pumps are, alongside energy efficiency measures, the critical technology for eliminating climate change causing emissions from heating across the world. We need over a billion of them by 2050 according to the historically uber conservative @IEA .

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

4 months

If the policy is scrapped, it would mean the government has no plan whatsoever to deliver clean heating at scale which: a. it is legally obliged to under the CC act and; b. will mean increased (relative) exposure to gas imports.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

10 months

Put this in your difficult to treat pipe and smoke it. 1720s grade II* listed Manor house. 'There is no double glazing, no central insulation in the walls, doors, windows, roof, any heat really goes straight out.'

Historic National Trust home saves tonnes of carbon with new Cornish heat pump system

An historic National Trust property has saved 64 tonnes of carbon a year after installing a new ground source heat pump system.

www.falmouthpacket.co.uk

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Heat and buildings policy in the UK is now so backwards that we're building new builds, and will continue to do so for some time, that we expect to be retrofitted by 2050 while concurrently trying to retrofit existing fossil fuel heated homes.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Burning wood imported from half-way around the world might not be that good, admits company which does it.

Power giant Drax told by own advisers to stop calling biomass 'carbon neutral'

Drax burns woody biomass pellets shipped from overseas to create electricity in the UK on the basis it could be greener than burning coal, qualifying it for government subsidies. But its scientists...

news.sky.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

4 years

On twitter I try to focus on clean energy issues but with an opportunity to wind up some fascist thugs I thought I should join the fabulous hashtag hijack and show solidarity with my sisters. Married for 3 years and together for over 12! #ProudBoys 🌈

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

🚨HOT OFF THE PRESS🚨 A policy toolkit for global mass heat pump deployment. An international collaboration between @RegAssistProj , @GBPNetwork and @CLASPappliances (thread).

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

I doubt @RachelRileyRR realises she is being used as a tool in a PR campaign to delay key clean energy technologies and maintain gas infrastructure.

Hello Hydrogen

@HelloHydrogen

1 year

📢Big news! We are so excited to announce the brilliant @RachelRileyRR as the Hello Hydrogen campaign ambassador! Check out the below to hear what she has to say about hydrogen for home heating in the future. Visit to find out more.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

4 years

I've been the owner of an e-bike for almost 24 hours now and I have to say it is fabulous! Cornish hills are a thing of the past.... Unless I want them! There might just be something in this micro-e-mobility thing.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

5 months

I remember people saying Rampion windfarm would be a monstrosity. Good morning from the south coast. 🌞💨

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

My Friday thought is that in GB we're still connecting more homes to the gas grid than we are decarbonising and we still haven't tackled the price rebalancing issue. These elements are both fundamental for the heating market transformation and we're still going backwards.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

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? 🧵

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Yet we continued to build to standards way lower than this with gas connections and no solar. Even the proposed 'Future Homes Standard' won't go this far in terms of fabric efficiency. IMO Passivhaus Plus with a fossil ban should be what we are aiming for as soon a practical.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Goodness, Germany looking to ban replacement gas and oil heating systems in.......2024!

Germany’s ‘summer package’ to focus on heating sector revamp

Germany will seek to shake off its dependency on Russian gas with a new heating strategy focusing on district solutions and a mandate to make heat pumps mandatory as of 2024.

www.euractiv.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

I'm rarely surprised by UK energy policy any more but my jaw is on the floor having seen many comments supporting 5GW of blue hydrogen by 2030 in tomorrow's (?) strategy. A strategy responding to a crisis caused by fossil gas proposing using more fossil gas. WTF.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

I literally grimace every time I see this chart. What a disaster. From:

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

The absolutely criminal thing about heat decarbonisation/heat transition politics is the total ignorance by policy makers of the value it will bring to the UK. Ignoring the carbon reductions, it will save money and pay for itself through the reductions in gas imports (thread).

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

What does gas lock-in look like? This iron mains replacement work, taking place on Avenue Road in Falmouth, which is paid for by gas bills and regulated by Ofgem, is taking place in an area deemed viable for a heat network which is surrounded by heat pumpable water. (thread)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

6 months

What was it about the billions of pounds you had invested in gas infrastructure that attracted you to the idea of hydrogen for heating?

Richard Hall

@RichDCHall

6 months

Unless you believe that there's a role for hydrogen in home heating. Which is a view that only tends to be held by people who work for gas networks, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

Octopus' plans to disrupt the heat pump market and deploy at scale are totally admirable and potentially game-changing. Total respect. When will the other UK suppliers follow?

Race to build affordable heat pumps for Britain’s homes hots up, but will the public warm to them?

Government wants homeowners to switch to clean, green heating, but ministers are said to be getting cold feet over a ban on new gas boilers

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

If heat pumps don't work when it's cold, why is Canada offering grants for heat pumps with COPs of ≥ 1.8 at -15 °C?

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

How to get a heat pump for your house in Great Britain. I have updated by 2020 blog in light of the launch of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Please share!

How to get a heat pump for your house (in Great Britain)

It’s pretty obvious that in order to decarbonise heating, we’re going to need a lot of heat pumps. Air-source, ground-source, air to air, air to water, big ones connected to heat networks – all may...

www.linkedin.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

Phwoar. Some heat pump. Great to see (and hear) a multi-megawatt scale working water source heat pump supplying a heat network in Glasgow.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

11 months

The idea of a 100GW offshore wind pipeline would have been laughed at a decade ago. Now it's set to become the most important energy source for the UK.

The Answer to Our Heating Problem is Blowing in The Wind - HeatGeek

Richard Lowes and Oscar Fitch-Roy, University of Exeter Energy Policy Group

www.heatgeek.com

James Murray

@James_BG

11 months

UK offshore wind pipeline now at 98GW, according to new data from @RenewableUK . But just look at what is happening globally. China added 17GW in a single year. China pipeline now at 157GW(!). US gone from practically nowhere to a 83GW pipeline.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 months

Just had a sub £100 energy bill for my average sized terraced house for typically the coldest month of the year with the house kept at 21 Degrees celcius. Heat pump plus smart tariff.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

As the hydrogen trials continue, and reality continues to bite, a reminder from myself and Prof @DavidCebon on why the fundamentals of hydrogen for heat are so poor economically and environmentally.

'Wrong side of history' | Wake up to the hype around green hydrogen for heating

OPINION | No colour of H2 makes sense to decarbonise heating, and pretending otherwise risks delaying urgent action to slash emissions, write Richard Lowes and David Cebon

www.rechargenews.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Maybe I missed this yesterday but the VAT removal on solar PV, heat pumps and efficiency measures also includes zero VAT on installation. That could be a big reduction on heat pump install costs.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 months

Energy bill just arrived. Averaging 15.1p/kWh on the 'agile' tariff. That's 4.2p/kWh per unit of heat based on my measured heat pump performance. Current gas price cap is 7.42p/kWh, that's 8.9p/kWh at 80% efficiency plus standing charges. Less that half the price of gas.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

6 months

Has always seemed BEYOND BONKERS to me that despite having a broad goal of electrifying the economy, we tax carbon in electricity but not gas and we allow votalile gas prices to set tha vast majority of power prices. And windfall tax receipts aren't even returned to consumers. 🤯

Jim Grace

@mac_puck

6 months

The UK has by far the highest ratio of Electricity price to Gas price. This is a result of Tory Government policies: 1. Gas for electricity incurs a Carbon Tax, whereas gas for boilers does not. 2. The price of ALL electricity is set by the price of Gas-fired electricity. 2/

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

The current offshore wind build out rate means that both metrics will get even better. Add solar PV to your building mix and better still. (2/3)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

In 2018, the National Infrastructure Commission assumed a heat pump sCOP of 2.5 in its analysis. The Electrification of Heat trial from 2021 (during covid) gave 2.8 measured. I'm getting 3.7. We're now seeing real world sCOPs of over 4. This innovation is great! (1/n)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

There is a wealth of expertise and evidence on what is a sensible path for decarbonisation of heat in the UK. Having worked on multiple biogas projects and having worked on this issue for over a decade, this idea that we can use biogas at scale for heat can be dismissed (thread)

Dale Vince

@DaleVince

3 years

Thanks for all the comments and feedback about our 'Save our Boilers' campaign and the wider push for Green Gas from grass. Here's some more information:

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

I can't think of a combination that gives better household energy running costs than a heat pump and solar PV.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 month

@helena_bennett_ FML have you seen how many replies say it's a government conspiracy to stop poor people being healthy!

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Delighted to announce that from May I'll be taking up a new position at Shell, running their UK renewable gas division.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Ministry for Energy Security That'll be energy efficiency and renewables then?

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

4 years

I'm on the way home from the Citizen's Assembly @NetZeroUK . Some thoughts from me. Firstly what an honour to be able to speak at such an event. The scale of it and organisation was way beyond what I was expecting. Total respect to everyone @MillerJDavid @Bankfieldbecky etc

Nina Skorupska 💙

@NinaSkorupska

4 years

Thought @heatpolicyrich gave a very measured “pitch” for electrifying heat. “Not the answer for everywhere but a sensible, deliverable answer for efficient homes now” #ClimateAssemblyUK Pitch for “hydrogen” next ...

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

I can't stop watching it.

Talk

@TalkTV

3 years

Mike's interview with Insulate Britain spokesman Cameron lasts less than a minute. @Iromg | @InsulateLove

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Remember when we were told this was a 'drop in solution'? Full of holes more like! Also 'mechanically ventilated buildings are excluded from the trial'.

Hydrogen boilers might need ‘four-inch holes in walls to prevent explosions’

Government-backed safety report recommends extra ventilation ahead of pilot scheme to run eco-friendly heating systems

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

5 months

Government has just cancelled the Redcar hydrogen village trial in a hydrogen market update.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

4 years

Centrica calling for 1 million heat pumps (Inc. hybrids) by 2025 and a huge energy efficiency boost Centrica! Historically, *THE* gas company.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

Ban it.

‘It would survive nuclear Armageddon’: should plastic grass be banned?

Artificial lawns are more popular than ever – but they are also an environmental nightmare. Will the campaign to stop them be successful?

www.theguardian.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

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)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

My blood was boiling watching @Channel4News tonight. A really depressing explanation of the new homes disaster created by lobbying by @PersimmonHomes at al and the crap new builds by @TaylorWimpeyplc and @bovishomes resulting from weak UK government regulation. Absolute disgrace.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

11 months

If we don't speed up, the UK really risks falling behind the rest of the world on buildings electrification. US residential heat pump sales pass gas furnaces for first time as interest in efficiency tech surges: IEA via @UtilityDive

US residential heat pump sales pass gas furnaces for first time as interest in efficiency tech...

The International Energy Agency also said in its report, Energy Efficiency - The Decade for Action, that electric vehicle sales in the U.S. rose 55% last year.

www.utilitydive.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

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!

Fairglen - Premier Construction

Fairglen Premier Construction

premierconstructionnews.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

For years, many of us have been calling out the greenwashing and climate delay dangers of hydrogen for heating while the gas companies and their trade bodies have called us activists, vested interests and personally attacked us and scientific research. Karma winning today.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

“We’re actually testing a heat pump in our lab this spring where the cutoff temperature is –31 degrees Fahrenheit,” she says. “That was unheard of 10 years ago.”

Heat Pumps Sell Like Hotcakes on America's Oil-Rich Frontier

In Alaska, people are flocking to buy electric appliances instead of fuel-guzzling furnaces, as oil prices soar and temperatures plummet.

www.wired.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

10 months

Do people realise just how much gas the UK imports? And how much and how quickly remaining gas production is is expected to fall? I feel like I'm watching a slow motion train crash. And we absolutely do not have a proper plan.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

9 months

The thing I don't get about the anti-efficiency, anti-heat pump pro-gas lot is, are you really happy with an ever increasing reliance on gas imports? Are you actually happy for the UK economy to be that exposed?

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Sorry I sound a bit frustrated sometimes but:

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

As you may have seen, The National Infrastructure Commission has released its 2nd infrastructure assessment, 5 years after the 1st. The big heating headline is basically 'hydrogen for heating is dead' which I think we already knew, but a good kick for the government. (1/N)

Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

'What we are saying, unambiguously, is that we do not see any role for hydrogen in the future of home heating.' UK National Infrastructure Commission 18th October 2023.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

It's quite staggering that in 2021, in one of the world's largest economies, UK law allows insulation and its installation that is this crap.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

This is an extraordinary political risk for the @GMB_union to take. In addition, phrases like 'unproven heat pump technology' put them squarely in fossil fuel incumbent shill corner possibly linked to their strong gas (BG and gas network) base (1/2).

GMB Union

@GMB_union

3 years

Ripping out existing boilers across 24 million homes across the UK is utterly absurd. It will lead to heating chaos for millions of people and general resentment towards the UK’s drive to net zero.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Important (IMO) 👇 When retrofitting a building from a boiler to a heat pump, the first time costs will be significantly higher than all subsequent heat pump replacements. This one-off investment will last in perpetuity yet this fact is rarely appreciated (thread).

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

1 year

I got told off last year for suggesting this! 'It's nothing about privatisation Richard!!!' 😊 State-owned electricity generation firm ‘could save Britons nearly £21bn a year’

State-owned electricity generation firm ‘could save Britons nearly £21bn a year’

Analysis by thinktank Common Wealth bolsters Labour’s case to launch national energy company

www.theguardian.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

7 months

I'm a keen cook and I cannot get over how good my induction hob is. Controllable (14 levels), super easy to clean, amazing range of temps from gentle warm to blacken.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

It's a standard that exists, works, has governance in place, and guarantees a net energy positive buildings. And I'd love to live in one one day! Ends

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

I'm re-opening my free advice line for anyone who would like help decarbonising their home. Please ping me a message if you would.

NOAA

@NOAA

3 years

JUST IN: It’s official. #July was Earth’s hottest month on record. via @NOAANCEIclimate #StateOfClimate #July2021 (Tweet 1 of 5)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

If there was ever a time to set out the plans for a national energy efficiency transformation programme, and I mean getting every house to at least EPC B, it is now.

Kwasi Kwarteng

@KwasiKwarteng

3 years

However, our exposure to volatile global gas prices underscores the importance of our plan to build a strong, home-grown renewable energy sector to further reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Renewable energy has quadrupled since 2010, but there is more to do (6/7)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Workings: Based on 9000kWh heat demand = 10588 units of fossil gas in a boiler. COP of 3.5 = 2571 kWh of electric for HP. Current grid mix 39.6% gas (Digest UKEIB 22) CCGT efficiency of 50% (DUKES 22) . 2021 UK gov conversion factors. (3/3)

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

3 years

The results are in and my air source heat pump has given me a total system performance factor* of 3.48 between 15th October and 15th January (colder than average). I love the fact that 71% of the heat in my house has been extracted from the air.

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

5 years

Gas is ‘not a low-carbon fuel’, UK watchdog rules 'There is no gas that can be considered 'low carbon' in the same way that wind energy can be considered 'low carbon'. These companies need to stop trying to mislead politicians.'

Gas is ‘not a low-carbon fuel’, UK watchdog rules

Equinor should not have implied gas was environmentally friendly energy source

www.ft.com

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Richard Lowes

@heatpolicyrich

2 years

Me: Expecting the 'what's for dinner?' phone call?🤗 Phone call: 🤬HOW THE HELL if we don't burn any gas in our house and the Ofgem man on the radio says this is all about gas are our electricity prices also rocketing? 🧵

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