News
First UK Map of District Heating Schemes Published
Published 19 June 2012 in Climate Change
The Combined Heat and Power Association (CHPA) has published the UK’s first map of district heating schemes online. The CHPA also have a number of other resources available online, including a guidance document on planning, developing and delivering community energy schemes.
The new district heating map, which was compiled through a survey of CHPA members and scheme operators, has identified over 200 existing heat networks – a mixture of residential, commercial and public sites – with a further 70 in development.
DECC’s Heat Strategy, which sets out how the UK government can cut emissions from heating homes, businesses and industry between now and 2050, identifies district heating infrastructure as crucial for decarbonising heat supply in urban and suburban areas.
By identifying areas with existing district heating infrastructure, the CHPA hope their map will complement DECC’s Heat Map (currently only available for England), which aims to help planners identify potential areas for district heating networks through providing information on heat demand by area.
Analysis of the CHPA district heating survey also revealed that:
- Over 53,000 homes currently have their heat supplied by district heating, with another 46,000 homes expected to connect to networks over the next five years.
- Of those schemes that provided figures, bills were reduced by an average of 18% for domestic customers and 13% for commercial customers.
- 38% of district heating schemes utilise renewable fuels of some form. The majority of these are biomass boilers, with some use of biogas or municipal waste.
The CHPA have also produced an online guide Community Energy: Planning, Development and Delivery, aimed at supporting planners and project developers through the process of developing a decentralised energy scheme. This guide is available to view here.
Access the CHPA district heating map here.
Related Information
Scotland Heat Map (2007).
Highland Council Heat Map (2011).
Fife and Perth and Kinross Heat Map (Fife website) and Fife and Perth and Kinross Heat Map (Perth and Kinross website) (2012).