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'Early and urgent action' needed to reduce heat-related emissions in Ireland, SEAI says

A new study said that heat pumps play a “crucial role” in decarbonising homes, businesses and industry in Ireland.

HEAT PUMPS NEED to be widely used as part of the effort to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions from heating homes and other buildings, a new report has said. 

38% of Ireland’s energy-related emissions in 2020 came from heating, a National Heat Study has outlined.

A number of new reports from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) outline that reducing heating emissions is a “difficult challenge”.

The authority said its study findings stress the need for “early and urgent action” to reduce heating emissions. 

A higher uptake of heat pumps “plays a significant role in all scenarios modelled” in the SEAI study. 

“Importantly the scenario with the lowest cumulative CO2 emissions sees significant and rapid uptake of this technology.”

Heat-related emissions are still rising despite many homes and businesses insulating, installing heat pumps and putting in solar panels. 

This trend of rising emissions since 2014 when the economy improved “must be reversed immediately if the heat sector is to meet its share of the required emissions reductions”, a summary report said. 

The SEAI further said its study highlights the “absolute necessity” of acting as soon as possible and using available technologies to reduce heat emissions. 

Under the government’s Climate Action Plan, overall greenhouse gas emissions must reduce by 51% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. 

Reducing and “ultimately removing” fossil fuels from heating is “central” to reaching these requirements, Climate Minister Eamon Ryan said. 

“Ireland’s heat has the lowest percentage of renewable energy of any European country. From this low base we can learn from other countries that are well on the way to achieving zero carbon heating,” he said in a statement. 

“It’s clear that fast deployment of existing solutions plays a key role. However, new-to-Ireland technologies like district heating will play a large role in the decarbonisation of our heat sector.”

The government plans to install 400,000 heat pumps by 2030 under current plans. 

A new retrofitting grant scheme was announced last week aimed to make it simpler and more affordable for people to install heat pumps and undertake other retrofitting measures. 

The SEAI said heat pumps have a “crucial role in decarbonising buildings” and that more policy support is needed to drive uptake and prevent cost being a barrier for homeowners.  

Other soutions

District heating is another technology offering “significant potential”, the SEAI said. 

District heating systems create a local heating grid which delivers lower-emission heat to buildings. 

The SEAI study said that up to half of building heating in Ireland could be provided through this system. 

The heat can be supplied using waste heat from industry or electricity generation, geothermal sources or heat pumps, the SEAI said. 

The report also looks at other future options such as green hydrogen which the SEAI said is a potential large-scale solution, but as it is unlikely to be widely used within the next decade it plays a smaller role in rapidly decarbonising heating. 

SEAI CEO William Walsh said building upgrades need to be focused on supporting an early switch away from fossil fuel heat sources towards more sustainable technologies. 

It was reported earlier today that gas demand increased by 10% last month in one of the highest demands in over a decade. 

The SEAI heat study is described as the most comprehensive assessments ever conducted on the heat energy sector in Ireland. 

It was released in the form of eight technical reports and a summary report. 

The reports focused on a number of areas including heating and cooling energy demand, electricity infrastructure, carbon capture and storage and sustainable bioenergy for heat. 

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    Mute Jason Walsh
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 2:21 PM

    I’ve heard of heat pumps retrofit into older houses cost folk an arm and a leg to run. Unless you have a very well insulated house they don’t operate efficiently, i.e a new build. Rather then heat pumps look at solar with battery to run an electric water heater (yes old tech but reliable) instead.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 3:17 PM

    @Jason Walsh: but SEAI just reduced the Solar PV grant from 3K to 2.4K, go figure.

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    Mute Harry Trafford
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 8:59 PM

    @Jason Walsh: from someone in the trade. Spend the money on windows and insulation, before you dream of a heat pump…..

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    Mute Coco Walsh
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 7:48 AM

    @Jason Walsh: eco eye showcased a house a few weeks ago. Retrofitted an old house with insulation and a heat to air pump for a cost of €35000 (Inc. €12000 grant). Monthly heating costs went from €1287 to €1288. An increase of €1.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 2:36 PM

    They won’t take on the turfcutters, because of politics. And they won’t promote timber as a renewable and sustainable alternative fuel for rural areas because the Greens can’t understand the notion of an interim solution.
    Most older rural homes don’t suit heat pumps, and rural dwellers won’t buy into this technology.

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    Mute Anthony Guinnessy
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    Feb 23rd 2022, 12:03 AM

    @John Mulligan: it is not about buying into the technology its about the price it costs to buy into it and the length of time it takes to get your money back. You’re looking at anywhere from 50 to 90+ years payback on a deep retrofit of an old house and that’s with the government grant.

    The other thing you have to factor in is the electricity demand. Where is all this extra electricity coming from? The seai don’t mention that. If you have two electric cars and do 15k kms per year in them you are Basically doubling your electricity demand, add in a heat pump on every house too and all.of a sudden we need far more than double our current total demand before you even take account of business heating and data centres. Where is this electricity coming from? Expensive renewables, back up imported coal/gas power plants and imported electricity from abroad. This is why we are currently third most expensive electricity in Europe and by the time we are done with all this electrification we’ll be the most expensive with putin having Europe literally over a barrel.

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    Mute liam
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 2:10 PM

    The SEAI are still installing Kero Burners under their grant scheme,

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    Mute Geoff Bateman
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 3:03 PM

    and what the costs of these???.. ah wait don’t tell. me cos that’s why they are not being taken up by ordinary homeowners

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    Mute Brian McDonnell
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 3:16 PM

    @Geoff Bateman: For an average Irish home, an air source heat pump may cost about €12,000 – €18,000. This cost includes the equipment price and the installation fee. Not exactly in the reach of most home owners.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 3:20 PM

    @Brian McDonnell: and a good large Solar PV system is around 23-25K after grant but includes VAT!

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    Mute Roland Tarrant
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 7:35 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: that’s just not true. We got a 3.2kw solar system for 4k and a tube pv for hot water for 4.5k ex grant.

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    Mute Stealth
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 11:29 PM

    Why not just change buildings regs so all new builds must be passive rated.
    Unless your doing a total referb on a old house a heat pump will cost much more to run and install as most would need larger aluminium rads and new pipes.
    Heat pumps are best suited to underfloor heating in a well insulated and airtight house with ideally a central MVHR and everything properly set up and calibrated.

    A friend in Norway has built a fantastic house with .26ACH@50 and lots of insulation, barely needs heating even in subzero temps as the heat from electronics, cooking and body heat keeps temps up and the heat pump can work in reverse on the occasional hot day.
    They have a ground sourced heat pump.

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    Mute Watchful Axe
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 3:24 PM

    Anyone look into the infrared panels on ceilings to replace old radiators. They seem cost efficient on paper even on day rates and create a healthier indoor environment. Maybe with a battery system that uses the storage heater rates and/or solar it could be very good.

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    Mute Fintan O'Tooooolllll
    Favourite Fintan O'Tooooolllll
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 3:31 PM

    @Watchful Axe: ceiling heating just doesn’t provide enough heat!- we have them and never use them as they are totally rubbish

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    Mute Watchful Axe
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    Feb 22nd 2022, 3:46 PM

    @Fintan O’Tooooolllll: That’s a pity, I imagined it would be like standing out in the sun when they’re on.

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