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Leading heating technology manufacturer, Grant, has welcomed The Alliance for Zero Carbon Heating (TAZCH)'s landmark Renewable Heating Obligation (RHO) Report.
The new reports details how the Irish Government could slash residential heating emissions quickly, cheaply, without disruption to consumers and at zero cost to the taxpayer. This can be done by altering its proposed Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) rates of 1.5% and 3% and introducing a 20% blend of renewable liquid fuels. This small change would create the equivalent carbon saving of installing 160,000 heat pumps, without the need for costly retrofitting, disruption to households, or grid upgrades.
Grant supports the recommendations set out in TAZCH's Renewable Heating Obligation report, which offers a practical and inclusive roadmap to accelerate home heating decarbonisation across Ireland. By adopting a 20% renewable liquid fuel blend, we can unlock immediate carbon savings, without the need for disruptive retrofitting or unaffordable upgrades that rural households simply cannot consider.
The findings challenge the Government's current heat decarbonisation strategy, which relies almost exclusively on deep retrofitting and heat pumps. These options remain financially out of reach for many, especially in rural Ireland where 700,000 homes rely on liquid fuels and where incomes are lower and housing stock older.
Grant has been preparing for this transition for some time, with the Grant Vortex range of HVO biofuel-compatible boilers available and ready to help households significantly reduce their carbon footprint. This solution aligns with the ambitions of the RHO report and ensures that no home is left behind as we move toward net zero. The technology, fuels, and skills are already in place and now Government policy needs to match the pace of innovation and opportunity.
"This is the quickest, simplest and most equitable way to cut carbon emissions from home heating in Ireland," said Philip Hannon, CEO of TAZCH. "We already have the infrastructure, the trained workforce, and the renewable fuels ready to go. All we need now is the political will."
"There's no reason this should be an either-or debate," Hannon continued. "TAZCH fully supports heat pumps where they're appropriate—but we need a complementary approach. A 20% blend of renewable liquid fuel delivers the same carbon savings as 160,000 heat pumps, but it would take us 26 years to install that many at the current rate. We don't have that time."
The report warns that current Government proposals for an RHO—with targets of just 1.5% rising to 3%—will fail to drive real emissions reductions. This can be easily rectified by acknowledging that the two main heating vectors of gas and oil which represent c80% all Irish households are very different and would benefit from two separate schemes, with the liquid sector cojoined with the already established liquid obligation within the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation which covers the same companies. By doing so this will allow the liquid heating sector to reach a 20% ambition immediately delivering meaningful climate impact.
TAZCH is calling on Government to:
• Separate the liquid fuels and gas sector into different schemes;
• Create a dedicated Renewable Liquid Fuels Obligation incorporating obligations for transport and heating;
• Set an immediate 20% renewable liquid fuel obligation for home heating.
