Mike Foster, Chief Executive of the EUA, said;

“We are pleased that the NIC recommend that hydrogen is one of the key solutions for decarbonising heat. EUA believe that ‘Green Gas’ will play a major role in decarbonising heat in the UK.

Many of the recommendations that NIC have outlined are already being addressed by industry, such as pilot schemes to test hydrogen.. The HyDeploy and H21 projects run by the Gas Distribution Networks will demonstrate the viability and cost effectiveness of hydrogen for heating in the timescale outlined by the commission.

We agree with the NIC that more ambition is needed in delivering energy efficiency measures. However we think the Commission should put more emphasis on the private rented sector. Just focussing on the social rented sector is misguided as it is an already over performing sector. EUA believes that firmer action needs to be taken in the private rented sector to ensure that all rented homes are at least a band C.

EUA are concerned that the NIC believes that reduced energy costs elsewhere in the system will balance out higher energy bills caused by the decarbonisation of heating. These seem like bold projections and we believe that government should be looking to pursue the most overall cost effective solution, which is why we believe that only decarbonised gas is a realistic solution for meeting our 2050 commitments."