The UK Government is seemingly beginning to take heed of advice to focus on delivering low-carbon heating systems, with two new announcements which could effectively reduce emissions from heating demand in towns and cities and begin to restore investor confidence in the neglected sector. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has this month launched the first part of a £320m fund to supply low-carbon and recycled heat in towns and cities across England and Wales; and proposed to soften changes to renewable energy subsidy support, which were abruptly announced in the summer. The new funding comes in the form of a £39m pilot scheme of the Heat Networks Investment Project – part of the Government’s ‘central heating for cities’ funding package which will be delivered over the next five years. This initial funding, announced by Energy Minister Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe, will seek to accelerate the growth of communal and district heating schemes through the development of infrastructure allows municipalities to recycle wasted heat produced from the likes of factories, power stations and even the London Underground, and pump that heat back into homes and businesses to keep them warm.
Edie 25th Oct 2016 read more »