The first stage of the £320 million Heat Networks Investment project announced by the government last year has been launched with a £39 million pilot scheme. The pilot scheme is open to local authorities and other public sector bodies excluding central Government Departments, applying for any efficient heating and cooling network in England and Wales. Applicants can apply for grants or loans to support construction, expansion, refurbishment, and interconnection, including works to access recoverable heat and upgrade heating systems inside existing properties. Multiple criteria will be used to score and rank applications with respect to their carbon savings, customer impact and social net present value. The pilot was welcomed by the Association of Decentralised Energy (ADE), which called the funding “the right next step”. ADE’s director Dr Tim Rotheray said: “The launch of this pilot is a cornerstone for attracting up to £2 billion of capital investment for new heat network infrastructure. “More than 150 local authorities and a number of private sector property developers are working to deliver these infrastructure investments and build a foundation for a long-term district heating market in the UK.
Utility Week 17th Oct 2016 read more »