Isaac Occhipinti, External Affairs Manager, EUA said

“A new UK Heat Policy is a necessity not a nice to have. We believe a new Heat Policy examining how a decarbonised gas grid could meet UK carbon reduction cost effectively is needed. 85% of homes are on the gas grid and the majority have a gas boiler. Heat policy to date has failed to convince the public to choose an alternative and projections show it will be hard to make this change. An option that should be explored further is decarbonising the gas grid in the UK.

Other recommended priorities include;

• Support for industry and consumers to ensure we meet the Smart Meter roll out deadline.
• Review the case for strategic investment in long term gas storage for the UK. Currently the UK has one of the lowest percentages of stored gas despite high annual usage.
• Examining the mechanics for reducing carbon from the non-domestic market is an unexplored area.
• A joint Energy and Climate Change/Transport committee study into roll of gas use for transport.
• EUA would like to see a review of DECC subsidised schemes from 2010-15 and how these related to household income distribution.