Department of Energy and Climate Change
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£3 million funding to boost low carbon heating

More people will have their homes and businesses heated by renewable, sustainable or recoverable energy sources thanks to extra £3 million of funding awarded to 55 local authorities across England and Wales yesterday.

The new funding will support 74 low-carbon heat projects designed to provide more efficient heat to buildings and potentially lower heating bills in local areas while helping to cut carbon emissions, tackle fuel poverty and boost local jobs.

Heat networks are designed to provide heat to clusters of buildings through a system of insulated pipes carrying hot water - eliminating the need for individual homes and businesses to generate their own heat. Heat is distributed from a central location from sources such as rivers or mine water, biomass, energy from waste or recovered heat.

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, said:

Using wasted heat to warm our buildings is a cost effective way to cut carbon and slash energy bills.

This money will help transform the way communities heat their buildings, schools and homes – as well as show how people and councils can work together to boost jobs and investment in their local area.

The 55 winning local authorities are the fourth group of successful bidders to be announced as part of the government’s drive to scale-up the reach of low-carbon heat through local networks. If half of the projects are built, this would represent a capital investment of £800 million.

Announcing the winners at the National Heat Conference in Birmingham yesterday Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Baroness Verma said:

Low-carbon heat generation is on the rise in the UK and local authorities have an important role to play in maintaining this growth and driving forward innovation and progress in the heat industry.

By working together communities have the power to deliver clean energy to local areas, reduce bills and create more green jobs.

The successful local authorities will be offered grants ranging from around £16,000 to £263,000 to help set up their projects. The government’s innovative Heat Networks Delivery Unit has been providing grant funding and expert guidance to local authorities since 2013.

Estimates show that around 15 per cent of UK heat demand could be cost effectively met by heat networks by 2030 and over 40 per cent by 2050.

The 74 new heat networks will bring the total number of heat network projects benefitting from government grants to 180.

Notes for Editors:

  • Heat networks supply heat to a number of buildings or dwellings from a heat generated at a central source and supplied through a system of insulated pipes. Heat is generated centrally, rather than individual scale delivers carbon savings, and can reduce consumer bills.
  • The Government’s Heat Network Delivery Unit was established in September 2013 to support local authorities exploring heat network opportunities though heat mapping, feasibility and detailed project development to business case.
  • Grant funding is accompanied by guidance from experts in the unit.
  • All bids were reviewed by a panel of engineering, financial and commercial experts with significant experience in heat networks development. Bids were assessed against a range of criteria including future carbon saving, commercial viability and local authority commitment.
  • Grant offers are made subject to compliance with state aid regulations and agreement of a Memorandum of Understanding.
  • The successful local authorities are:
    • Bath & North East Somerset Council
    • Birmingham City Council
    • Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
    • Bournemouth Borough Council
    • Bridgend County Borough Council
    • Bromsgrove District Council
    • Buckinghamshire County Council
    • Calderdale
    • Ceredigion County Council
    • Cheshire East Borough Council
    • City & County of Swansea
    • City of Westminster
    • Colchester Borough Council
    • Cornwall Council
    • Coventry City Council
    • Crawley Borough Council
    • Devon County Council
    • Dudley Metropolitan Borough
    • East Hampshire District Council
    • Eden District Council
    • Flintshire County Council
    • Forest Heath District Council
    • Gloucestershire County Council
    • Herefordshire Council
    • Kent County Council
    • Leicestershire County Council
    • Lincolnshire County Council
    • London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
    • London Borough of Haringey
    • London Borough of Harrow
    • London Borough of Havering
    • London Borough of Islington
    • London Borough of Redbridge
    • London Borough of Sutton
    • London Borough of Waltham Forest
    • Manchester City Council
    • Middlesbrough Borough Council
    • Newhaven Town Council
    • North Devon District Council
    • North Tyneside Council
    • Norwich City Council
    • Plymouth City Council
    • Portsmouth City Council
    • Rugby Borough Council
    • Runnymede Borough Council
    • Salford City Council
    • Slough Borough Council
    • South Staffordshire
    • South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council
    • Southend-on-Sea Council
    • St Edmundsbury Borough Council
    • Stratford-on-Avon
    • Sunderland City Council
    • Wakefield City Metropolitan District Council
    • Wiltshire Council

 

Channel website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change

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