Richard Lowes
Energy policy obsessive on clean/decarb, mostly clean heating and gas. Surfer, dog lover, live in Cornwall. Work for Exeter Uni and the Regulatory Assistance Project. Fellow of the Energy Institute. Co-chair of Clean Heat Forum.
- Despite the noise from interest groups, experts know that heat pumps can bring down bills especially when combined with solar, heat pump tarriffs and batteries. That's as well as slashing emissions and imports. www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-wh...
- Excellent fact check here led by @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org with insights from @janrosenow.bsky.social and @madgabes.bsky.social
- 'I’m a green energy advocate that thinks heat pumps are shite” says Ecotricity owner Dale Vince in an article which covers all sorts of things..... The reality is, that you can't call yourself green and not support heat pumps. www.linkedin.com/posts/richar...
- The Warm Homes Plan is out. Some thoughts: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
- Developments in the Americas have put oil security in the spotlight but transport electrification is an obvious solution to manage oil security. The bigger strategic issue is gas. Together, US, Iran and Russia are responsible for 40% of global gas exports - reliable partners?
- The graph above, based on IEA data, shows countries which are around 45% or more reliant on imported gas, alongside their total gas import levels. Food for thought, especially when you think about some of the countries which are both highly dependent and high users.
- France, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Japan, Italy and Germany all stand out to me. All countries which need to rapidly increase renewable generation and electrify end uses.
- I/RAP am advertising for a buildings energy policy expert, with experience of buildings in hot climates. Please share with your networks. Closes the end of the month. www.raponline.org/who-we-are/c...
- Really great to see this work on how good heat pump installs can be. An average seasonal performance factor (sCOP) of 3.9 beats gas on running costs, even in the UK where the price ratio between gas and electricity is so bad.
- NEW RESEARCH: UK heat pumps can perform far better than many think. Our analysis of HeatPumpMonitor.org data shows well-designed systems achieve ~40% higher efficiency than past trials (SCoP 3.86 vs 2.81), cutting bills (~£224/yr) and emissions. Open access: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Add time of use tarriffs, solar PV and batteries and running costs are decimated! And actually unbeatable. That's right, heat pumps are a central part of the solution to bring down energy bills for good! A win for households, the climate and energy security.
- Huge kudos to @janrosenow.bsky.social and @trystanlea.bsky.social for sharing this analysis.
- 🚨Just released🚨 'Tipping the balance: Cheaper electricity is needed to drive clean heating' Our brand new globally focussed paper looks at the role of energy pricing in delivering clean heat uptake and provides examples of what has been done to reduce electricity prices.
- Heat pumps are vital for moving the world off fossil fuel use in buildings, enhancing security and reducing local and global emissions. Ensuring heat pumps have lower running costs than fossil fuel alternatives is vital for their mass deployment.
- Yet electricity is often too expensive, typically because it is loaded with policy costs and taxes. Our new global multi-partner report investigates this issue and shows that these price differentials are primarily a matter of policy choice💡 www.raponline.org/knowledge-ce...
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View full threadThis has been an fascinating piece of work to lead, thanks to all of my co-authors and colleagues who have been involved. Link to the report is here: www.raponline.org/knowledge-ce...
- The removal of the RO levy from bills to taxpayer funding is a huge win for UK households, energy policy and strategy. ECO reform was needed, but a cut seems foolhardy.
- The cost of living crisis was caused in large part by gas prices. Heat pump policy supports a solution which which gets the country off gas AND reduces emissions. I seriously hope this is some crossed wires, if not we really are in trouble. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
- I've always found the UK's decline into major gas import dependency troubling and seen the electrification of demand and efficiency as the core solution to energy security AND decarbonisation (climate change is also hugely worrying to me).
- Despite what certain pundits and grifters claim, clean energy has, and continues to help the security situation and the current import dependency is a result of North Sea basin terminal decline (there is undoubtedly some O and G left but it's noise against this bigger picture).
- The decline is forecast to continue to nearly full gas import dependency by 2040. EEK. Looking ahead, my worry in UK politics is what appears to be a broad lack of objectivity and the unfounded belief that we can drill baby drill, frack and easily build nuclear generation.
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View full threadA grown up conversation is needed on this structural economic problem and sadly I don't see it coming. Graph data from Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and map from Ember.
- I'm delighted to share our new Clean Heat Policy Tracker, an initiative led by @regassistproj.bsky.social via the Clean Heat Forum). www.raponline.org/toolkit/clea...
- In a world where electricity still dominates energy discussions, the tracking of heating policies is a first. The tracker includes factsheets for the countries considered, a breakdown of key date on types of policy in place and links to further resources.
- Please share far and wide. Thanks to everyone who provided input.
- UK Government has caused some upset by appointing the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) as the sole accreditation body for heat pumps. I think it's actually a good move. www.linkedin.com/posts/richar...
- Reposted by Richard LowesThe future energy bill is an electricity bill. This is why we must 'Make Electricity Cheaper' for households, businesses and industry. In our 3rd paper at RAP on this topic, Tom Butler & I look at reducing tax & levies added to electricity prices for industry. tinyurl.com/4z4v5ssd
- What does an energy governance failure look like? How about the same road getting a replacement gas pipe and a heat network at the same time? www.linkedin.com/posts/richar...
- Ember demonstrating, in numbers, how electrification is central to reducing energy imports in Europe. Heat pumps in the Netherlands are already reducing gas demand in homes by around 10%! ember-energy.org/latest-insig...
- Such a depressing situation when solid wall insulation can have such an incredible positive impact when installed properly. Designing the policy to deliver it as cheaply as possible without appropriate safeguards was never going to end well: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- Such a depressing situation when solid wall insulation can have such an incredible positive impact when installed properly. Designing the policy to deliver it as cheaply as possible without appropriate safeguards was never going to end well: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
- The brilliant Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) is looking for two UK based people to join our team as HR assistant and people operations coordinator. Please share. www.raponline.org/who-we-are/c...
- I'm delighted to share two new translations of version 2 of our global heat pump policy toolkit, one in French and one in Polish (these sit alongside the English and Korean versions). This is a key international resource for growing clean heating. www.raponline.org/toolkit/heat...
- North Sea liabilities may already be larger than future sales revenues implying this may have significant costs. But more fundamentally, the quicker you deplete an already declining basin, the more rapidly you become exposed to more imports. Proper energy strategy needed.
- Denmark is proposing removing nearly all tax from electricity bills from next year and taking it down to the EU minimum required level. Will knock off around 5p/kWh. www.dr.dk/nyheder/indl...
- Help needed: I'm looking for the best case studies of governments around the world actively reducing the (relative) price of electricity for households (ideally to actively support electrification). So far I have Germany, The Netherlands, Massachusetts, Sweden, Denmark. Thx
- Three hard truths about air-to-air heat pumps. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
- It's getting pretty boring/weird seeing campaign groups obsess over air con. It's not blocked - in fact planning permission now allows it for most existing homes. And it won't reduce carbon. Not sure this is London bubble thinking or a funded campaign. www.politico.eu/article/brit...
- Perhaps someone thinks the Boiler Upgrade Scheme reform might be a good opportunity. Some detailed thinking from me a couple of years ago here: www.raponline.org/knowledge-ce...
- Full interview here with the why and how we could do pylon support better. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
- Households near new electricity pylons could be about to get £250 a year off their energy bills - but why is this new energy infrastructure needed? @richardlowes.bsky.social speaks to @stevehreports.bsky.social. @regassistproj.bsky.social | @lbcnews.bsky.social
- Reposted by Richard LowesGreat letter from Dr Richard Lowes, Exeter University + RegulatoryAssistance Project on the continuing insane electricity pricing conditions given the need to incentivise clean energy uptake. Still no published plan (promised by Boris Johnson in 2022) www.ft.com/content/4931...
- Reminder that electricity is stacked with levies and a carbon tax and gas gets a free pass, fundamentally imbalancing the market. While a heat pump specific payment might deliver a few heat pumps, it won't solve fundamentals and is at risk of cancellation. Wider reform needed.
- Update. My letter has today, been published. Letter: Government must slash electricity prices to boost green tech - on.ft.com/4lM5Xhp via @FT
- Very frustrating news on (no) electricity market reform in GB. Some thoughts. www.linkedin.com/posts/richar...
- Very frustrating news on (no) electricity market reform in GB. Some thoughts. www.linkedin.com/posts/richar...
- Like energy policy? Excellent communicator? Want to be at the leading edge of the energy transition? New energy and climate comms job with @regassistproj.bsky.social as communications lead in our Europe programme. www.raponline.org/who-we-are/c...
