Rinnai has conducted a survey asking industry professionals a series of questions on ‘The Future Role of Gas in UK Heating and Hot Water’.
The key extrapolations from this survey reveal that there is a reluctance or uncertainty to fully ignore natural gas as a primary source of UK energy. The reasons for uncertainty were not probed in this survey, but can be reasonably assumed when analysing the current conditions of the domestic and global energy markets.
A main influence in the energy industry that could be attributed towards this feeling of uncertainty is cost. UK customers appear to trust natural gas and accompanying technology more than they do renewables. This is despite natural gas being vulnerable to geopolitical conflict, and was demonstrated by the spike in costs following the inception of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A similar rise in natural gas costs is expected to be experienced this year.
It could be argued that, if this survey was completed in the near future when additional costs become apparent, confidence in natural gas will be reduced and confidence in renewables increased. However, this survey does reflect a level of reluctance to move away from natural gas as a reliant form of energy.
The survey was completed before the military conflict in Iran, so the answers do not take into consideration the potential fluctuations in gas costs. The current state and economic military action throughout the globe means that natural gas could be regarded as a financial concern by energy industry professionals and customers.
When considering the feedback – 53% believe that gas has a long-term UK future, while an additional 46% think gas will be a main contributor towards UK power for 21-50 years, with a further 11% believing that gas has a shelf life of over 50 years.
Is this evidence that confidence in replacement energies and technologies does not appear to have been fully adopted by UK energy industry professionals? Or is it evidence of a total confidence in natural gas by UK energy sector professionals? When asked if newbuilds should be constructed with gas infrastructure, 15% strongly agreed while 46% agreed. When compared to the 19% of participants who disagreed and the 7% who strongly disagreed, you can argue that there is discernible support for the continued use of gas in UK newbuilds.
When you also add the 57% of respondents who strongly believe that gas has a role in supplying energy to existing UK buildings, and the 38% who also believe the same, albeit in less rigorous assertion, gas still appears to be favoured across newbuild and existing buildings. Again, natural gas is regarded as an energy source capable of delivering UK power requirements for heating and hot water.
When asked about the pathway potential of gaseous energy, only 3% answered ‘unsure’. This could suggest that confidence in gas supplying infrastructure is high and that gasses are immediately identified as an available and convenient energy solution by UK energy industry professionals. The aforementioned survey figures imply that natural gas is still viewed as a cornerstone of UK energy supply and that gas has a pertinent role in the near and far future.
The survey highlights that gas is still a strong option for all concerned and potentially reveals an uncertainty. What, precisely, is the uncertainty is ironically uncertain. Is it holistically net zero as a concept and approach, alternative energies and related technology or simply cost of alternatives? www.rinnai-uk.co.uk