Reports this week are suggesting that Ireland’s proposed heating system scrappage scheme could now include the replacement of solid fuel heating.

The proposal, being brought forward by Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien, is intended to operate alongside Ireland’s existing support for heat pumps.

The precise details of the scheme have yet to be confirmed but reports in the Irish media suggest that households could receive total support of up to €14,500, with the scheme potentially launching in January.

The initial announcement about the scheme focused on older oil and kerosene boilers replacement. However, subsequent reports are now suggesting the scheme could also cover gas, electric storage heating, LPG and solid fuel heating.

If confirmed, the inclusion of solid fuel would raise an important question for policymakers: should all solid fuel heating appliances and systems be treated in the same way?

Not all solid fuel appliances are the same

The term ‘solid fuel heating’ covers a wide range of appliances and technologies, from secondary space heating appliances such as open fires and older stoves to modern Ecodesign-compliant appliances, and biomass heating systems such as pellet and wood log boilers.

There has been significant development in stove technology in recent years, with modern appliances designed to meet considerably more demanding efficiency and emissions standards than many older models.

For this reason, policies aimed at replacing older solid fuel heating appliances should distinguish between the age, design and performance of different appliances rather than treating all solid fuel heating as a single category.

The Stove Industry Association (SIA) supports the move towards more efficient heating and embraces the role that heat pumps and other technologies will play in the transition to lower-carbon homes.

However, the transition also needs to recognise that homes and households are not all the same.

A range of heating options

For some properties, particularly rural and off-grid homes or buildings that are difficult or expensive to retrofit, there may be practical or operating cost limitations to installing insulation and a heat pump.

A modern stove can provide a source of heat without requiring the same level of building modification or electrical infrastructure as some other heating technologies. For households with access to a sustainable local supply of wood fuel, it can also form part of a wider approach to home heating.

This does not mean that one technology should be promoted at the expense of another. Instead, it highlights the importance of allowing households to consider the characteristics of their property, their heating needs and the options realistically available to them. For many houses the hybrid solution of a heat pump providing low-temperature heat with a wood burning stove providing higher temperature heat when needed is ideal.

The SIA believes that policy should encourage households to move away from older, less efficient heating appliances while recognising the improvements made in modern stove technology.

A question for UK policymakers

Ireland’s proposal is still developing, and it remains to be seen exactly which heating systems and appliances will ultimately qualify.

Nevertheless, it provides an interesting example of the choices governments face as they seek to encourage households to replace older heating systems and reduce emissions.

For the UK, the wider lesson is that the transition to lower-carbon heating needs to be based on evidence, take account of the diversity of the housing stock, and embrace the right low carbon heating solution for the household.

Heat pumps, insulation and electrification will all have an important role to play. But a successful transition also needs to consider homes that are off-grid, difficult to retrofit or unable to accommodate every heating technology. It also needs to consider energy security. At a household level a wood burning stove provides energy security and resilience, and cumulatively hundreds of thousands of stoves contribute to decreased energy grid load and therefore increased grid resilience.

The question is not whether heating needs to change. It is how we make sure that the transition works for different homes and different households, while encouraging the use of increasingly efficient technologies.

The SIA will continue to contribute to the debate around future heating policy, supporting an approach that recognises technological progress, consumer choice and the practical realities facing households trying to heat their homes in the most low carbon and cost effective way.