Richard Lowes
@richardlowes.bsky.social
6.2K followers 490 following 110 posts
Energy policy obsessive on clean/decarb, mostly clean heating and gas. Surfer, dog lover, live in Cornwall. Work for Exeter Uni and the Regulatory Assistance Project. Fellow of the Energy Institute. Co-chair of Clean Heat Forum.
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richardlowes.bsky.social
I'm delighted to share two new translations of version 2 of our global heat pump policy toolkit, one in French and one in Polish (these sit alongside the English and Korean versions). This is a key international resource for growing clean heating. www.raponline.org/toolkit/heat...
richardlowes.bsky.social
North Sea liabilities may already be larger than future sales revenues implying this may have significant costs. But more fundamentally, the quicker you deplete an already declining basin, the more rapidly you become exposed to more imports.

Proper energy strategy needed.
richardlowes.bsky.social
Help needed: I'm looking for the best case studies of governments around the world actively reducing the (relative) price of electricity for households (ideally to actively support electrification). So far I have Germany, The Netherlands, Massachusetts, Sweden, Denmark. Thx
richardlowes.bsky.social
It's getting pretty boring/weird seeing campaign groups obsess over air con. It's not blocked - in fact planning permission now allows it for most existing homes. And it won't reduce carbon. Not sure this is London bubble thinking or a funded campaign.
www.politico.eu/article/brit...
Boiling Britain: How air conditioning could become a political priority in the UK
Politicians blowing hot air won’t solve Britain’s record-breaking hot summers.
www.politico.eu
richardlowes.bsky.social
Full interview here with the why and how we could do pylon support better. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Reposted by Richard Lowes
fascinatorfun.bsky.social
Great letter from Dr Richard Lowes, Exeter University + RegulatoryAssistance Project on the continuing insane electricity pricing conditions given the need to incentivise clean energy uptake.

Still no published plan (promised by Boris Johnson in 2022)
www.ft.com/content/4931...
richardlowes.bsky.social
Reminder that electricity is stacked with levies and a carbon tax and gas gets a free pass, fundamentally imbalancing the market.

While a heat pump specific payment might deliver a few heat pumps, it won't solve fundamentals and is at risk of cancellation. Wider reform needed.
richardlowes.bsky.social
Update. My letter has today, been published.

Letter: Government must slash electricity prices to boost green tech - on.ft.com/4lM5Xhp via @FT
richardlowes.bsky.social
-Reducing the demand for cooling is sensible at the design stage.
-Normal air to water heat pumps (with rads) are not normally well suited to provide cooling. (2/2)
richardlowes.bsky.social
I spoke to the Telegraph yesterday about air-con.

TLDR
-Get it if you need it.
-Despite what some commentators say, it's not banned.
-Air to air heat pumps will not magically clean up the UK's buildings en masse, but they might help. (1/2)

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
Air-con is a fever dream in boiling Britain
A creaking power grid and high energy bills mean we may have to put up with the sweltering heat
www.telegraph.co.uk
richardlowes.bsky.social
Good to see progress on the UK's journey to clean energy and a healthy climate and great to see the @thecccuk.bsky.social leading with the importance of electricity prices.

Reminder, it was the Johnson government which first committed to doing something in 2022.
www.theccc.org.uk/publication/...
Progress in reducing emissions 2024 Report to Parliament - Climate Change Committee
Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 36 (1) of the Climate Change Act 2008. This report was laid…
www.theccc.org.uk
richardlowes.bsky.social
This is such a good idea I LOVE IT.
nestauk.bsky.social
Today we’re launching Start at Home - a first-of-its-kind scheme to boost the heat pump workforce, by supporting newly-trained installers to access a fully-funded heat pump of their own: StartAtHome.org.uk
richardlowes.bsky.social
Was on Times Radio on Saturday talking about the heat wave and air-con with I hope, some useful tips.
richardlowes.bsky.social
Simple, because it allows more local decisions to be made and gives more efficient outcomes (cheaper costs). RAP's power system blueprint has this explainer on what LMP is and why people might want to support it blueprint.raponline.org/locational-m...
richardlowes.bsky.social
Switching to more granular 'locational marginal pricing' is currently being discussed as part of plans to reform the UK electricity market. But what is it? And why do the economists and independent voices like it?
richardlowes.bsky.social
We got there in the end! Well done to all involved. But that took a long time and there was a huge amount of mis-information on the way. I just found this post from February 2022.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article....
richardlowes.bsky.social
We hope it can be a useful guide to those working on energy policy with an interest in heating. If you have any questions or requests for regulatory and policy assistance, please do reach out.

Thanks to everyone who has worked on this. It's been quite a few years! (2/2).