Baxi survey reveals care home leaders need support to achieve heat decarbonisation goals
Baxi recently surveyed over 400 senior and middle management care home managers in both the private and public sector this summer in an effort to understand the enablers required to help decarbonise the sector.
The survey found a strong appetite for decarbonisation from those who responded. A promising 46% of respondents said they had already decarbonised their heating systems, with 50% indicating they are taking steps to do so.
Care homes are a vital sector to consider as we move towards greener and more efficient homes and buildings. However, despite the positive outlook on low carbon tech among care home bosses, Baxi found that gas boilers are still a prominent technology in the sector, with 42% of respondents listing them as their main heating system.
Running costs were viewed as a key consideration when exploring decarbonisation options for 85% of respondents, meaning that any low carbon solutions will need to consider affordability as a priority. System efficiency and ease of installation were also marked as key drivers of decarbonisation for 42% and 39% of respondents respectively. The focus group emphasised that continuity and reliability of heating systems are essential.
Baxi’s survey indicated that care home managers are keen to find out more about decarbonisation and to access support. 76% of respondents stated they were interested in reviewing their options for low carbon heating and hot water. Over 40% of the survey’s participants agreed that technical advice, easier access to funding support and being granted access to case studies from other care homes would help to accelerate the pace of decarbonisation across the nation’s care homes.
In the private sector, respondents experience challenges with funding application processes and struggle with strict eligibility criteria and resource requirements. In the public sector, care homes tend to struggle more with competition delays to funding and what they felt was ‘bias and discrimination’ throughout the process.
Jeff House, Director of External Affairs and Policy at Baxi, said: “It’s encouraging to see from the survey that there is clear appetite among care home leaders to decarbonise their heating and hot water provision, but the evidence of some clear barriers mean there is plenty to be done in order to make this ambition a reality.
“We’d like to see the government give the care sector some much needed focus through funding dedicated to heating decarbonisation, and specific guidance around eligibility and access. Doing so will not only ensure the sector benefits from clarity and certainty, but will also ensure the wider supply chain can be mobilised in a bid to tackle what has felt like something of a Net Zero blind spot up to now.”
