Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne has visited the Southampton offices of UK electric heating and renewables market leader Dimplex to discuss energy issues and the need for energy efficient heating solutions for the low carbon buildings of the future.
After his meetings, Mr Huhne took time for a tour of the manufacturer’s showroom to view a selection from Dimplex’s wide range of energy-saving electric heating products and renewable solutions including heat pumps, solar thermal water heating and solar PV panels.
Stuart Mackenzie, managing director at Dimplex says: “As concerns over the UK’s energy supply and the challenges of low carbon construction increase, it’s important that government and industry work together to achieve the tough targets ahead. The government’s own 2050 Pathways document earlier this year pointed to an electric future with heating and transport moving away from a dependency on fossil fuel, so we’re pleased to have this opportunity to show Mr Huhne how these demands translate into real-life low energy heating and microgeneration solutions.”
Chris Huhne has been a strong advocate of the government’s Green Deal, a drive to improve homes’ energy efficiency, create ‘green’ jobs and ensure the UK’s future energy security. In addition, working with other north-west European nations, he is pushing for a more demanding target of 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020, an increase from the current 20 percent.
In the same week as Mr Huhne’s visit to Dimplex, Charles Hendry, minister of state for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, spoke at the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers Association (BEAMA)’s AGM, where he also highlighted the UK’s need to improve the base load for electricity due to the electrification of heating and transport.
With the grid decarbonising through nuclear and renewable generation, electric is undeniably the heating fuel of the future, and renewable technology such as heat pumps and solar thermal water heating will also play a key role in the UK’s low carbon future.
