By Chris Welby, Good Energy’s Commercial Director

So, the Committee for Climate Change has told the government we need to reduce our carbon output by 80% by 2050. Now we know what, we need to decide how.

The case for electricity is kind of clear. We need more renewable generation. Maybe Nuclear. Getting to 80% of electricity generation from zero carbon sources is challenging, but achievable. However, 47% of the UK carbon emissions come from heating our homes and businesses, predominantly by burning gas.

We cannot achieve the target unless we tackle the heat question. Energy efficiency has a role to play, but can we really reduce our carbon footprint without tackling how we heat our homes? As a country, the majority of us heat our homes and businesses automatically by burning gas or oil as the timer kicks in. Do we have an alternative?

Renewable forms of heat are available. 25,000 people in the UK use solar thermal panels on their roofs to provide them with hot water, and sometimes space heating. However, 25,000 homes out of 30 million are hardly denting the footprint. If we are to meet the targets, how are we going to encourage the uptake of renewable heat? What are we going to do about those properties not suited to renewable heat solutions?

Should we reward those people who make the switch, or punish those who do not?  Does renewable heat have an answer to fuel poverty?  If so, who should pay?

Good Energy would like to hear your views on the blog, so we can shape our approach to campaigning on this issue.