Switching to Bioliquids Could Reduce Household Emissions – Report

by Bernie Commins (Agriland) 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.

“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.

“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 (Kevin McPartlan, CEO of Fuels for Ireland and spokesperson the Alliance for Zero Carbon Heating) said.

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%.

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.

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. READ MORE