GMB Union has rallied against potential plans to ban all new homes from connecting to the gas network.
In a joint letter to the Secretary of State, energy firms including Octopus Energy and Eon, as well as several other signatories, called on the UK Government to ban all new homes from connecting to the gas network. Instead, the providers want to see heat pump technology more widely adopted in new build estates.
Heat pumps are significantly more energy efficient than gas boilers, although some argue that they are not always a realistic option for certain types of households. That’s why some groups have been pushing for the UK Government to also encourage hydrogen boilers, which could potentially one day use the existing gas network, allowing homes to burn clean hydrogen as opposed to the natural gas that is burnt today.
That’s what Andy Prendergast, GMB National Secretary wants to see. In a statement, he noted, “This letter is a partisan and short-sighted attempt to deny consumers choice.
“At the exact moment when hydrogen trials are starting in earnest and when billions are being invested across the world in a viable alternative to fossil fuels, this plan is no more than an attempt by vested interests to attack working class jobs and prevent the UK from becoming a world leader in technology that offers both energy security and a viable way to net zero.
“Despite numerous taxpayer funded discounts, the reality is that you can’t give heat pumps away.
“Rather than subsidise middle class virtue signalling, working people want choice and a future for the skills they have proudly built up.
“The road to net zero simply can’t be paved with the livelihoods of tens of thousands of gas workers when a viable alternative exists.”
However, as noted by our Gossage Gossip columnist, current hydrogen boilers are likely nothing more than a marketing scheme — as they still rely on natural gas.
So, what path does the UK Government take? Only it can decide whether to listen to the energy firms that are pushing for heat pumps, which would hugely benefit the country’s net zero goals, or whether it protects the livelihoods of gas workers and ensures a viable path to hydrogen boilers.