£300m ‘not enough’ to overhaul heating

THE Government’s £300m investment in low-carbon heating is “not enough” to cut carbon emissions fast enough to meet the UK’S tougher climate targets, according to the official infrastructure tsar.

Expenditure unveiled this week hopes to bring forward £1bn of investment in low-carbon heat networks to replace carbon-heavy gas heating. But the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) chairman, Sir John Armitt, has warned that the plans still fall far short of the urgent and ambitious action needed to overhaul the nation’s heating systems.

“It’s not enough,” Sir John wrote for The Daily Telegraph. “We at the NIC have been clear of the need to fund research and trials into potential sources like hydrogen and heat pumps.

“Replacing natural gas for heating, and improving insulation of buildings, could have a drastic impact on emissions. We need to invest now to find the best approaches.”