Baxi backs home heating revolution

Baxi has called for a radical shake-up of the home heating industry and demanded action from the Government to help bring about a sustainable energy revolution.

In a report published today, leading multinational heating manufacturer Baxi laments the painfully slow progress by industry and Government in bringing about a roll-out of sustainable energy technologies across the UK's existing housing stock.

The report 'Sustainable Home Heating; it's time for a step change' highlights the challenge of reducing harmful Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by domestic gas and electricity use.

Heating homes currently accounts for 27% of the UK's total CO2 emissions.

Important initial steps have been made by Ministers, who have introduced and acted upon the Government's Microgeneration Strategy published in 2006.

Crucially however, the hoped for sales increases in domestic sustainable energy products have not materialised.

The report shows that Government must adopt a more ambitious approach but equally industry must lose the desire to maintain 'business as usual'. Industry and Government must work together and demonstrate the business and environmental case for sustainable energy, so that it becomes the only choice for future policy.

In the report, Baxi sets out its views on a range of policy issues for sustainable energy technologies, most importantly those concerned with financial incentives. Real changes will only take place if householders are fully rewarded for producing renewable and low carbon energy, heat and electricity.

Any support to encourage the roll-out of sustainable energy technology must also include micro-CHP, a groundbreaking new technology that can meet all the heating and hot water demands of a home, whilst also meeting the majority of its electricity needs.

Baxi Group Chief Executive Officer, Mark Kelly, endorsed the report and
commented: "For too long, sales of sustainable energy technologies in the UK have languished behind those of our European neighbours, yet the UK boiler replacement market is the largest in Europe.

“Yes, it is important to get the policy framework right, and we have included our own views on financial incentives and other issues within the report. But industry itself must take bold action and move forward.

"At Baxi, we believe the time is right to implement a step change in the roll out of sustainable energy technologies and we are demonstrating this by bringing out a new micro combined heat and power product later this year to augment our existing sustainable energy portfolio.

“We believe low carbon technologies such as solar thermal, biomass, heat pumps, and micro-CHP in particular, can make a serious contribution to UK carbon emissions targets in the future.'