What are the safety implications of widespread adoption (including retrofitting) across the built environment from low carbon heat solutions including the impact of non-fossil fuel heating and storage systems and the impact of heat pumps on noise/acoustic performance standards and legionella control?
Background
HSE Strategic Objective: Enable industry to innovate safely to prevent major incidents, supporting the move to net zero (https://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/assets/docs/the-hse-strategy.pdf)
HSE has a significant part to play in the safe delivery of the government’s commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas by 2050. Transitioning to a carbon neutral economy will see more innovative technologies and processes, which will present new risk. The scope of our research will underpin work to make sure that health and safety legislation does not prevent safe innovation and progress and will contribute towards enabling a safe transition across all industry sectors. We also understand that this is a phased change, and we continue to prioritise research to support maintaining our role in regulating the major hazards in existing energy industries.
To help manage risk, we will focus our attention on the breadth of activities that net zero encompasses. This will provide evidence to inform any policy, regulatory and operational changes needed to support key stakeholders.
To address the knowledge gaps we will adopt a broad approach including identifying and synthesising existing/developing evidence; influencing, fostering partnerships and collaborating with others; having the assurance frameworks to ensure that commissioned research is aligned to addressing the most prioritised knowledge gaps and is the optimum approach to deriving the evidence.
For some technologies, the level of interest, developments and activity is such that inter-related research activities necessitate coordination via a programme model. This is currently the case for the technological areas of carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) and gaseous hydrogen. There is also significant activity in the battery technology area and alternative liquid fuels, particularly liquid hydrogen.
The questions provide more detail of the evidence needs within the main Areas of Research Interest Question Group.
Next steps
Get in touch: hsecsa@hse.gov.uk
Source
This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:
Topics
No topics assigned yet
Research fields
No research fields assigned yet
Related UKRI funded projects
-
SaFEGround - Sustainable, Flexible and Efficient Ground-source heating and cooling systems
Through the 2008 Climate Change act, the UK committed to reduce by 80% its carbon emissions. While great progress has been made so far, data suggests that reductions in emissions have been achieved through switching elec...
Funded by: EPSRC
Why might this be relevant?
The project focuses on ground-source heat pumps for low-carbon heating and cooling, directly addressing the safety implications of widespread adoption of low carbon heat solutions.
-
A Network for Heating and Cooling Research to Enable a Net-Zero Carbon Future (H+C Zero Network)
Decarbonising both heating and cooling across residential, business and industry sectors is fundamental to delivering the recently announced net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets. Such a monumental change to this sec...
Funded by: EPSRC
Why might this be relevant?
The project aims to enable a net-zero carbon future through research funding calls and workshops, partially addressing the safety implications of widespread adoption of low carbon heat solutions.
-
Interdisciplinary Centre for for Storage, Transformation and Upgrading of Thermal Energy (i-STUTE)
The UK is committed to a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% before 2050. With over 40% of fossil fuels used for low temperature heating and 16% of electricity used for cooling these are key areas that mus...
Funded by: EPSRC
Why might this be relevant?
The project focuses on developing technologies for cost-effective heat and cold delivery, partially addressing the safety implications of widespread adoption of low carbon heat solutions.