The Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) said it was pleased to see the Climate Change Committee outline its ambition for heat pumps and hydrogen for heat this week.
Stewart Clements, director at HHIC, said: “We welcome the CCC’s ambition to have 5.5m heat pumps installed by 2030 and also the recognition of hydrogen and the real potential it offers to decarbonise heat, affordably.
“HHIC represents the whole heating sector and we will be working with our members to understand the implications of this report and how we can assist BEIS with the transition. As an industry we are committed to helping and supporting the UK reach our carbon reduction targets.
“However, we must proceed with caution. Having ambition is positive but we have to be prepared for what happens if we can’t meet that ambition. The accelerated timelines will be very difficult to achieve in practice. BEIS need to urgently engage with the heating industry to fully understand what we can start to deliver, and what we will need to put into place.
“For example more work is going to be needed on reskilling the workforce and developing supply chains. Red tape will need to be reduced to allow greater participation in government support schemes like the RHI and Green Homes Grant.
“If a collaborative approach is adopted the heating industry is confident it can reduce emissions to meet our net zero goals.”