Malcolm Magee lives in the village of Wenhaston, near Halesworth in Suffolk, with his wife. Now in their mid-70s they moved into the property, a 1960s 3 bedroom Bungalow, in November 2024 to be closer to their family, having previously lived in West Wales. Malcolm wanted to make their home more environmentally friendly to reduce their carbon emissions and play their part in tackling climate change. The property is one of the 1.7 million homes in the UK heated by oil and Malcolm was aware the government was promoting heat pumps as an alternative low carbon solution.
He got in touch with a local OFTEC registered technician to ask about switching his oil boiler to a heat pump. This involved working with an Ipswich based renewable heating firm which conducts heat loss calculations to ensure any new heating system is compliant with regulations. After inspecting the property, it was confirmed that the loft was well insulated and there were double glazing windows throughout. The building itself was in good condition.
However, like many properties in rural areas, the cavity walls were not insulated and there was a solid floor which similarly did not have any insulation. It would cost thousands of pounds to implement cavity wall insulation and there were no realistic solutions for the concrete floors. As a result, Malcolm was advised that a heat pump system could not be recommended because the estimated heat loss would be too high.
This wasn’t just about technicalities. There was no guarantee that, with a heat pump, the house would be heated properly. They would in fact struggle to heat all the rooms to 21 C, the minimum recommended temperature for your main room to maintain a healthy living space.
A new oil heating condensing boiler had been installed in December 2023 and the property recently had a 1,000 litre double skinned oil tank fitted. This oil heating system could last for over 15 years so, without the option of a heat pump, Malcolm could continue using a fossil fuel for many more years which would not help the UK reach its net zero target.
“When we moved into our new home, we wanted to move away from burning fossil fuels as we don’t believe it’s ethical”, Malcolm said. “We can’t collectively carry on like this, it’s unsustainable for future generations. We’d seen lots of information from the government about heat pumps and it was really disappointing to find out that, in the real world, many homes like ours are not suitable. I didn’t want us to be sat in our overcoats trying to keep warm as my wife and I both have health issues. We’re at home 90% of the time and it’s a risk we weren’t willing to take. We’ve planted 35 trees on our ¾ acre site to try to offset our carbon footprint as that’s all we can do.”
Malcolm began researching whether there were other options and became aware of an alternative solution in renewable liquid fuels, such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). Some 150 oil heating systems had been successfully converted as part of an industry backed project and it had a been a straight forward and low cost transition, requiring only a minor modification to the boiler. Research showed that there was more than enough sustainably sourced HVO to meet demand without impacting land use. A complete switch to HVO reduces emissions by 88%, but the rollout would likely start with a 20% blended fuel of HVO and kerosene.
“When I found out about HVO I was really excited”, Malcolm added. “It sounded like the perfect solution for me and other people in my situation. Minimal upfront cost, very little disruption and a significant saving in carbon emissions. Best of all, I wouldn’t have to rip out a perfectly good boiler and tank. I desperately wanted to make the switch, and I would be on it like a shot if I could.”
However, the Labour government has yet to throw its full support behind renewable liquid fuels. In October 2023 the Energy Act included legislation which could be used to create a renewable liquid heating fuel obligation. This would pave the way for the introduction of HVO and other renewable fuels for home heating by reducing the cost of the fuel to the consumer. The legislation was introduced with the promise of a consultation on renewable liquid fuels within a year. This had cross party support in Parliament, including from the Labour Party now in government. However, a year has passed and this promised consultation has yet to materialise. Labour is continuing to focus on heat pumps as the primary solution for decarbonising the off gas grid heating sector.
“I understand the government wants to prioritise these fuels for the transport industry, rather than for heating. This doesn’t make sense to me. On the one hand I’m being told by the government I need to move to a cleaner heating system, but then at the same time they’re not giving me realistic choices. We’re stuck in this situation, which is not of our own making, and there is no help available. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future or if the government will try to force us to switch to a heat pump. I wrote to my local Green Party MP Adrian Ramsay to seek clarification and reassurance from the government, but I’ve not heard back from him.
“My wife and I are both now retired. We live a quiet rural life and we’re just trying to do the right thing. I’m sure we’re not alone in this situation and it’s not fair that we’re being overlooked.”
For more information about renewable liquid fuels visit www.futurereadyfuel.info.