UK energy experts demand backing for district heating schemes

London – District heating has a key role to play in the UK’s low-carbon future but needs much greater support from central and local government, according to a new report by Sustainable Infrastructure Task Group (SITG). As a starting point, the study calls on government to support these schemes by committing to signing up their own buildings in future.

SITG was established by the UK Green Building Council and the government-backed Zero-Carbon Hub to determine the green infrastructure required to deliver the Government’s target that all new property development is zero-carbon emissions by 2019.

The Government has carbon emission targets for its 50,000 buildings, which is it is failing to achieve, said Graham Meeks, Director of the Combined Heat & Power Association (CHPA), which represents community heating schemes in the UK. He believes a commitment to join district heating schemes would make them more attractive for investment.

In response to the publication, Meeks commented: “This report was drafted by representatives from the house builders, the energy companies, local government and green energy trade associations. The message is clear. To achieve green buildings there must be more community heating schemes for new developments to join.

“If the Government wants green buildings it has to take the lead in expanding the present small number of community heating schemes in the UK to northern European levels of coverage. At the very least this means a commitment to join its own buildings to good schemes”.

According to Defra, central Government occupies 50,000 buildings in the England, Scotland and Wales. Based on the Government’s own figures, CHPA estimate that the result of a commitment to join should lead to 14.6 million square metres of floorspace of commercial and public buildings being added to community heating networks. 1,600,000 dwellings could also be added to the current stock of 600,000 community heated dwellings.