Four heat network projects in England have been awarded £54m in government funding, to help shield homes and businesses from costly fossil fuels
New funding will support the development of heat network projects in London, Bedfordshire and Woking that use low-carbon heat sources such as heat pumps and energy from waste to warm properties.
The £54m funding comes from the government’s £320 million Heat Networks Investment Project, which supports the development of heat networks across England and Wales.
How do heat networks reduce emissions and increase energy independence?
A heat network is a distribution system of insulated pipes that takes heat from a central source- such as large-scale heat pumps or heat recovered from industry- and delivers it to a number of domestic or non-domestic buildings.
Heat networks which use renewable sources, such as ambient heat and geothermal, also help to increase the UK’s energy independence and reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Heat networks are uniquely able to unlock otherwise inaccessible large-scale renewable and recovered heat sources, such as large rivers and industrial heat. This allows them to reduce bills, support local regeneration and provide a cost-effective way of reducing carbon emissions from heating, whilst simultaneously boosting energy security.
The schemes will help reduce energy bills amidst the cost-of-living crisis and the use of fossil fuels overall in nearly 28,000 homes and businesses
Home and business owners in nearly 28,000 households can get rid of boilers fuelled by more costly oil and gas, helping reduce energy bills and boost the country’s energy independence.
As well as helping households move away from expensive fossil fuels, the funding helps address the urgent need to reduce the carbon footprint of heating homes and workspaces, which makes up almost a third of all UK carbon emissions. The annual carbon savings from these 4 projects is the equivalent to taking over 5,500 cars off the road or the average household use of over 400 kettles.
The heat network projects will also be able to invest in providing energy to commercial sites including shops, offices and public buildings.
Almost £28 million will fund 2 innovative heat network projects in Haringey in London, with nearly £17 million going to a project in Stewartby in Bedfordshire and a further £9 million for one in Woking.
The projects receiving funding are:
- Haringey London Borough Council has been awarded £27.8 million funding for 2 heat network projects – Wood Green District Heating Network (£10.6 million) and the Tottenham Hale and Broadwater Farm District Heating Network (£17.2 million) – which will collectively supply heat to almost 10,000 homes when fully built out. Both heat networks will be supplied primarily by heat generated by the Energy Recovery Facility being built at the Edmonton Eco Park
- Thamesway Energy Limited has been awarded over £9.4 million for a major expansion to an existing heat network which supplies heat to public sector, commercial and residential customers in Woking town centre. The investment in new infrastructure will enable up to 3,450 new homes to be supplied as part of a major infrastructure scheme in the west and south of Woking
- Vital Energi has been awarded £16.9 million to develop a heat network using waste heat from the Rookery South Energy Recovery Facility, which is located in a former brick clay extraction pit near Stewartby in Bedfordshire. Up to 12,000 homes and non-domestic buildings could eventually be connected to the scheme
Minister for Business and Energy Lord Callanan said:
“These projects will transform how tens of thousands of households and businesses keep their properties warm.
“By investing in cutting-edge low-carbon heating technologies we are helping to secure a lasting move away from using fossil fuels and protecting consumers from the costs that are driving up energy bills at a time of high global prices.”
