New research has demonstrated that liquid heating fuels could help to dramatically reduce emissions in Ireland’s home-heating sector, according to AECOM, which conducted the study.
Its report, entitled A Review of the Irish Residential Heating Sector shows that switching to a 50% biofuel blend could reduce emissions more than switching to an air-source heat pump.
In Ireland, 700,000 households currently use oil to heat their homes. The government plans to retrofit 500,000 homes by 2030 to a building energy rating of B2, or equivalent, and to install 400,000 heat pumps to replace older, less efficient heating systems by the end of 2030
According to AECOM, it costs more than twice as much for a household to switch to a heat pump, compared to what it would cost to switch to a viable alternative including biofuel.
Bioenergy and agriculture
The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) stated in September 2021 that the bioenergy sector has a significant role to play in addressing some of the key challenges and opportunities that farmers, foresters, and the broader agricultural industry face. It has a role to play in decarbonisation and emissions-reduction efforts of agriculture through “development and mobilisation of energy crop, biomass, and biogas industries”. Biogas, as a fuel, according to IrBEA, can decarbonise heating and vehicles. Chemical fertiliser can be displaced with digestate from biogas production.
Kevin McPartlan, CEO of Fuels for Ireland and spokesperson the Alliance for Zero Carbon Heating said that the findings of this new report show the role that new liquid fuels and blends can play.
“All across the country, people want to make their own contribution to reducing emissions, and the new liquid fuels that are coming online could allow them to do just that.
“AECOM’s new research demonstrates that the use of a 50% oil and biofuel blend would produce 40 tonnes of CO2 emissions over 10 years, compared to the 53 tonnes produced by a heat pump.
He said the installation of heat pumps often requires extensive deep retrofitting processes, which can impose a far greater financial burden.
“Given that the average cost of such a retrofit is €56,000 – and given that the average grant in 2021 was €15,000 – it is easy to see why this is unaffordable for so many households, why uptake has been so low, and why the government is lagging behind their targets,” McPartlan said.
Members of the alliance have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their products by 50% by 2035, while doing everything they can to achieve zero-carbon heating as soon as possible.
The alliance is now developing pilot projects in Ireland which will see these new liquid fuels being used in demonstrator projects.
McPartlan called on the government to incentivise a shift towards fuels which can dramatically reduce carbon emissions in the coming years, including alternatives which can cut emissions by up to 86%.
Citing the example of the Biofuels Obligation Scheme in the transport sector and how it had helped to slash emissions, he called on the government to ensure that the low-carbon alternatives are not taxed in the same way as kerosene.
He also added that they need to engage directly with the industry to develop a system of energy credits which would incentivise further progress in this area.
“Up until now, around four in 10 Irish households depend on oil – including an overwhelming majority of households across broad swathes of rural Ireland – have not had a real choice, and they have been feeling the effects of sharp rises in carbon taxes and other cost increases due to government actions.
“But the AECOM research demonstrates that solutions are now on the horizon which will allow those who currently rely on oil to significantly reduce their carbon emissions at an affordable cost.
He said advanced, renewable, synthetic and biofuels will be a crucial part of meeting home-heating needs and achieving net carbon neutrality.
This study was carried out on behalf of the newly launched Alliance for Zero Carbon Heating, which commissioned the research. It has been established to ensure that Irish consumers have choices when it comes to their home heating needs and reducing carbon emissions. The alliance is made up of Fuels for Ireland; UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA); and OFTEC, the trade organisation for heating and cooking industries in the UK and Ireland.