Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to the development of infrared heating solutions.

Achieving net zero carbon emissions will require almost all UK homes to be supplied with low-carbon heating by 2050, and electrification will be an important part of that transition. Extensive government and independent analysis indicate that heat pumps are a cost-effective solution and will be a principal means of decarbonising heat in buildings through electrification over the next decade. There may be a role for alternative technologies, like infrared heating, but research to date – including our 2019 report ‘Evidence gathering for electric heating options in off gas grid homes’ – suggests this should be limited to specific use cases, such as smaller homes with low heat demand.

We continue to encourage innovation in new technologies. Support is available for developing technologies, such as infrared heating solutions, through programmes like the BEIS Energy Entrepreneurs Fund (EEF) and Clean Growth Fund (CGF). The EEF is a competitive grant funding scheme to support the development and demonstration of technologies, products and processes in power generation, energy efficiency and storage technologies, while the CGF aims to accelerate the deployment of innovative clean technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by making direct investments in companies seeking to commercialise promising technologies.