The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA), backed by a leading refrigeration expert, is warning that the Government’s overreliance on heat pumps as a major part of its Net Zero strategy is diverting attention away from simple, high-impact energy efficiency measures available for immediate implementation.
Chris Ridge, TICA’s Technical Director and Chair of the British Standards sub-committee for thermal insulation, has joined forces with Lawrence Leask, Managing Director of Kaizen Energy Consultancy, to expose what they say is a glaring omission in the UK’s push for Net Zero – the wide disregard of thermal insulation.
They argue that the current narrow focus on heat pump technology, while important, is pulling the HVAC sector’s attention away from easy, proven wins such as properly insulating refrigeration and heat pump pipework. These overlooked improvements, they say, could make an immediate and measurable impact on energy efficiency and carbon reduction.
“Thermal insulation of pipework is often an afterthought,” said Chris Ridge. “But it is a genuine ‘low-hanging fruit’ for decarbonisation – one that we can no longer afford to ignore.
“Whether you are installing flexible foams on domestic or commercial refrigeration applications or whether you are designing and installing complex insulation systems requiring specialist contractors, you still have an important role to play. The bottom line is that better insulation can deliver immediate energy savings.”
Lawrence Leask FlnstR, added: “Over the past 20 years, we’ve made huge strides in improving the efficiency of electric motors used to drive compressors in heat pumps, VRF and refrigeration systems – so much so that energy losses have been reduced to as little as 5%.
“But as a result, we’ve become overly fixated on chasing ever-smaller efficiency gains in specific areas.”
Leask, a CIBSE LCEA Air Conditioning Inspector with two decades of HVAC system survey experience, added: “It’s time to shift our attention to where the large wins are, like thermal insulation, which remains one of the most overlooked opportunities for reducing energy waste and improving efficiency.”
Together, Ridge and Leask are to issue an industry-wide call to action, urging HVAC professionals to prioritise thermal insulation as part of energy system design and maintenance.
Their joint message will be delivered in full during a thought-provoking session titled ‘Is Your Plant Room An Energy Crime Scene?’ at the Installer Show at the NEC Birmingham on Monday 24th June at 3:15pm – part of the Institute of Refrigeration (IoR) Masterclass programme.
The interactive presentation promises to challenge conventional thinking and showcase how better specification and installation of thermal insulation can offer one of the most immediate and effective steps toward decarbonisation.
They are also encouraging the HVAC sector to raise awareness by using the hashtags #TheProofIsOnTheRoof and #EnergyCrimeScene to highlight both good and bad practice across the UK.
