In the government’s recent net-zero review – Mission Zero – Chair Chris Skidmore MP stated that “decarbonising homes is essential to delivering net-zero, energy security and supply, and reducing energy bills”. 

According to figures from the then Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the amount of direct emissions from heating has not changed significantly since 2015, highlighting the scale of the issue that needs tackling. 

However, while it backed calls for a National Retrofit Strategy, which we completely agree with, as with many previous government publications, the review primarily focuses on heat pumps as the technology of choice to replace gas. 

This is despite also acknowledging that the UK has so far experienced low uptake of heat pumps, largely due to the diversity of housing stock and low insulation levels.

This is why I feel it is short-sighted to look to heat pumps as the silver bullet to a low carbon heating future. 

The good news is that there are several net-zero house trials happening right now that are testing other technologies than heat pumps. 

For example, we are working with Bellway Homes as part of the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0 facility – a unique research project that will test and validate housing design, home heating, and approaches to using a variety of energy technologies. 

Ambion’s Low Carbon Heat Panels were selected as one of the heating technologies to test following a Dragon’s Den-style pitching event for businesses with the capabilities and ambitions to contribute towards a greener, cleaner, and lower carbon future for homes. Our low carbon heat panel technology is also included in a test project with Liverpool’s John Moores University.

Combatting fuel poverty with low carbon heating

As well as reducing emissions, low carbon heat panels can also be a crucial tool to reduce fuel poverty. Indeed, the energy crisis has brought greater attention on how to address the UK’s leaky housing stock in the most cost-effective ways.

The system has a unique control panel that uses dynamic pulsing – rather than the zoning on/off approach of other systems – to reduce energy usage and maintain a room’s temperature within 0.1°C of its target, 24 hours a day. 

Infrared heat panels are then used because building materials absorb and store infrared, releasing it between pulses, making it the perfect partner for the pulsing approach.

The results of using dynamic pulsing plus the infrared panels are significant – users can expect to use 63% less electricity when compared to conventional systems – which also equates to a 63% reduction in carbon emissions.

The system also reduces damp and mould, as well as the circulation of dust and allergens, as infrared produces a dry heat and warms the fabric of the home rather than the air, reducing condensation at source, providing a more comfortable experience. 

Easy to install

For installers, the units are compact and easy to fit, whether they are being retrofitted into an existing building, installed within a newbuild, or even used in modular properties. 

This is because they simply need wiring into the mains rather than plumbing in, as there is no central boiler, external unit, or water-based delivery system. 

A smarter approach 

While the net-zero review could have recommended a broader approach to low carbon heating systems, in many ways, it presents an ambitious vision for the future. 

For example, it calls for a Net Zero Homes Standard for all homes, urging the government to “go further and faster to decarbonise our homes beyond EPC C, and maximise the opportunities that energy efficiency and low carbon heating have to offer”. 

For us, the future of low carbon heating is electric – it is the only sensible choice for the low carbon transition. However, we also know that, at the moment, every penny counts. 

That is why it is important that a range of technologies are considered so installers, developers, specifiers, and landlords can meet decarbonisation objectives and increase comfort without risking fuel poverty for the users, ensuring the transition is accessible to all.