The MJ.co.uk
Summary
In its 2019 election manifesto, the Conservative Party pledged to invest £9.2 bn in improving the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals. Of this, £6.3 bn was set aside specifically to install energy-saving measures in 2.2m homes, with a focus on social housing and those in fuel poverty.
The government’s focus has, naturally, shifted to addressing the current pandemic. But the calls are strengthening for more ambitious climate change policy to be woven into the solution to the COVID-19 economic crisis, to deliver a green and resilient recovery.
Key to this action will be to find more efficient ways to heat our homes, something which accounts for a fifth of overall UK energy consumption. Currently, most properties use individual gas or electric boilers. But district heating – which connects multiple residences to a communal system – could cut energy use for heating by up to 30%.
Alongside carbon and fuel savings, district heating schemes can also put money back in consumers’ pockets – a key consideration for social housing tenants. The savings are significant: the 2017 Heat Networks Consumer Survey revealed that customers connected to a heat network pay an average of £100 less annually for their heat than those with gas boilers.
We are beginning to see schemes emerge – we are delivering a scheme for Leeds City Council, for example, that will connect 2,000 homes across the city and leverage technology from similar projects across the Nordic regions. But currently, such programmes fulfil just two per cent of all heat demand across both domestic and commercial buildings. In contrast, almost two thirds of Danish homes are heated this way, with virtually every home across the country’s major urban centres connected to a network.
The Leeds City-Wide scheme is setting an example for the rest of the UK and while there is much progress to make, this is matched by great potential. The Conservatives’ planned investment in housing efficiency could provide local authorities with the means of delivering affordable warmth to tenants, realising social and economic benefits across their constituencies.
Read Entire Article
#News#UnitedKingdom#DistrictHeating