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As part of our 100 Days of Labour event, we had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Tim Rotheray from Viridor about heating policy and the challenges surrounding heat decarbonisation.
Tim, former CEO of the ADE and currently serving as Chief Sustainability Officer at Viridor, shared some valuable insights with us. He highlighted the crucial point that expecting consumers to take the lead in heat decarbonisation is not a practical approach.
During our discussion about Labour’s heat plans, Tim pointed out that governments have often shied away from addressing heat decarbonisation due to its complexities and lack of political priority.
He emphasised, “The thing is, it’s so difficult because of its infrastructure. And also it hasn’t had that pull politically to say that it should be the number one thing we’re getting on with.”
Tim added, “Heat is either bad or boring, right? When your heating doesn’t work, it becomes the most important thing in your life. And then when it’s working, it’s just like, okay, I got up and it works. And I’ve never seen anyone get excited about a boiler.”
Discussing the challenges of engaging consumers in adopting heat pumps and improving home efficiency, Tim expressed his frustration at the expectation for consumers to navigate a complex landscape on their own.
He proposed using mechanisms such as green mortgages to incentivise homeowners to renovate their houses every eight years, aligning with the average time between house sales.
“You can’t expect consumers to take out loads of credit loans. We’ve got to think about it in terms of the house and the value in the mortgage market, there’s a lot of opportunity there at the time at which you sell a house and the opportunity when that house is empty,” Tim explained.
He also highlighted the potential for collaboration between equipment producers, consumers, and lenders to drive energy efficiency measures like heat pumps and solid wall insulation.
Tim acknowledged that Labour has shown intentions to bring about change in this area but stressed the need for a more comprehensive approach that doesn’t place the entire burden on consumers.
It’s evident from Tim’s insights that addressing heat decarbonisation requires a multifaceted strategy involving government support, financial incentives, and industry collaboration.
Overall, the conversation shed light on the complexities of heat decarbonisation and the pressing need for innovative solutions to drive sustainable change in the heating sector.
