The beginning of the New Year has been marked by a significant drop in temperatures and forecasters are even suggesting we may experience another 'Beast from the East'. This would lead to a surge in energy use, leaving households more than usually dependent on reliable heating.
We know that mains gas has the potential to support these changes in demand, while for rural homes oil heating has a proven record of reliability – one that would be unaffected by a switch to HVO.
On the other hand, the large scale deployment of renewable electric heating could leave households more vulnerable to extreme weather events, particularly if they last several days. This doesn't mean that more electrification is a bad idea, but it does mean that a more diverse range of energy options could provide a more robust and flexible pathway to low carbon heating.