NEA NI’s Response to the Department for the Economy’s Consultation on Support for Low Carbon Heat in the Residential Sector
Date: 10th Jan 2025

We support the Department’s focus on reducing carbon emissions and improving the energy performance of homes. However, we are concerned by the use of criteria 3 to rule out support for hybrid heat pumps in the new scheme. While air source heat pumps (ASHPs) and ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are suitable for some homes, particularly new-build and well-insulated properties, they may not be the optimal solution for all, and other low carbon heat technologies should be considered.
Hybrid heat pumps offer a more flexible and affordable transitional option for certain households and house types, as they can see 85% of heat demand being met by low carbon sources, with a top up provided by natural gas, biogas, or another fuel. The Committee on Climate Change highlighted in their 2019 report on achieving net zero that a “hybrid-first” approach would be essential for heat decarbonisation during the 2020s.
Supporting hybrids may also offer a more cost-effective way to maximise the impact of limited budgets. While the Department for Economy (DfE) appears minded to support technologies that deliver the greatest carbon reduction per home, the constraints on NI Executive funding strengthen the argument to focus on carbon reduction per £ spent. By this measure, ASHPs, despite achieving the greatest carbon reduction per home, deliver less carbon saved per £ spent compared to hybrids. Supporting hybrids would enable more homes to be decarbonised within the same budget, resulting in greater overall carbon savings.
You can download the full response from the link under ‘Resources’.
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