Review of CHPQA shows ‘substantial benefits to society’

A recent UK Government review highlights the significant value delivered by Combined Heat & Power (CHP) and the CHP Quality Assurance (CHPQA) programme. As well as enabling access to Climate Change Levy and Carbon Price Support reliefs, the programme is estimated to have delivered around £1.1 billion in net social benefits in 2019, largely through energy cost savings and improved efficiency. 

Read more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/combined-heat-and-power-quality-assurance-chpqa-programm…

It is encouraging to see acknowledgment (page 37) that CHP can displace marginal generation such as CCGT, leading to greater carbon savings than if assessed against average grid intensity -although this still isn’t reflected in standard carbon accounting approaches.

The report also recognises the importance of CHP in Controlled Environment Horticulture (pages 65 and 69), where it provides not just heat and power but also CO₂ to enhance crop yields - highlighting the risk to this sector if policy does not fully account for these benefits.

Overall, the review presents a positive outlook for CHPQA and its role in supporting efficient energy use and the transition to lower-carbon systems.