ADE Calls on Government to Unlock Full Potential of UK Energy

The Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) today urges the Government to seize the opportunity presented by the Climate Change Committee (CCC)’s Seventh Carbon Budget advice by taking bold, decisive action that maximises the benefits of our growing renewable energy capacity. Rather than leaving valuable energy on the table, the Government must implement modern, flexible policies that ensure every watt produced is put to work for consumers, industry, and local communities.

The CCC’s analysis forecasts that electrification could drive 60% of emissions reductions by 2040 and save households around £700 on annual energy bills by 2050. The CCC also decisively stated that there will be no role for hydrogen in home heating, sending a strong signal to move away from outdated and inefficient gas boilers. The CCC predicts heat networks will be cheaper than individual heat pumps and the ADE believes robust Government support could widen this margin, making heat networks the lowest cost pathway to clean heat.

The ADE’s analysis reveals that by adopting smart flexibility measures - optimising the way we manage energy - the nation can save households approximately £115 a year by 2030 and up to £375 by 2040. The Government must also address a glaring gap in industrial decarbonisation support, as nearly 50% of the UK’s industrial emissions currently lack a pathway to decarbonise, potentially putting 770,000 jobs at risk. With hydrogen for home heating decisively ruled out, equally critical is the vast untapped resource of waste heat generated from data centres and industrial processes, which, if harnessed through low-carbon heat networks, could channel up to £100 billion of investment into the UK economy by 2050.

Caroline Bragg, CEO of the ADE said; “The CCC has laid out an ambitious vision for decarbonisation through electrification and other technologies, but the real transformation begins with government action. Government must now set clear, modern rules that ensure we don’t waste the renewable energy we’re building or the heat our industries produce. This is how we lower bills, protect jobs, and fuel economic growth.”

The ADE calls on the Government to act swiftly to deliver secure pathways for industrial decarbonisation, robust support for smart flexibility in our energy systems, and the development of heat network infrastructure. By doing so, the UK can turn today’s energy surplus into tomorrow’s prosperity, making the UK’s decarbonisation journey economically transformative.

For further interview or comment, please contact external.affairs@theade.co.uk.