Heat Networks Zoning Pilot
The zoning pilot set out to develop a consistent, standardised methodology to identify areas where heat networks are expected to provide the lowest cost, low carbon heat to buildings.
Applies to England
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The first outputs from this pilot are available and can be used to identify where heat networks exist and/or are highly likely to grow or be built out in the future.
The heat network zone identification pilot has developed a methodology for identifying where heat networks are expected to provide the lowest cost, low carbon heat to buildings. This methodology is intended to be used to identify potential heat network zones. The pilot involved testing and refining the methodology and defining the principles of what a heat network zone could look like in practice. During the pilot we worked with 28 local authority partners as well as technical and modelling consultants to test the methodology in different areas. This helped us understand issues such as how zone boundaries should be defined and what data is required to determine zone boundaries.
Lessons from the pilot have been used to inform the development of Heat Network Zoning Policy. Once the response to the heat network zoning consultation is published we will be updating the methodology to reflect the final policy position, expand it to cover all of England, undertake detailed quality assurance of the model, and launch a digital product to allow stakeholders to view potential zones on a map.
Background
The Energy White Paper, Heat & Buildings Strategy and Net Zero Strategy committed us to introduce heat network zoning in England by 2025, as a key enabler for growing the heat network market. The Energy Act 2023 contains legislation to bring heat network zoning into force and in 2023 we consulted on proposals for heat network zoning to inform secondary legislation.
The local authorities that participated in the heat network zoning pilot were:
- Barking & Dagenham, Birmingham, Bridlington, Bristol, Canterbury, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Coventry, Darlington, Exeter, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Hull, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Northallerton, Norwich, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Southwark, Stoke, Strood, and Sunderland
The model that supports zone identification has been developed by Centre for Sustainable Energy, on behalf of the department. Nine zoning technical consultants (AECOM, Anthesis, Arcadis, Arup, Buro Happold, Greenfield Nordic, Ramboll, Witteveen Bos / Nordic Energy, WSP) also worked on the pilot.
The pilot involved engaging with the wider heat network industry as well as those with a broader interest in the decarbonisation of heat including:
- local authorities
- electricity and gas distribution network operators
- housing associations
- owners of large public sector and commercial non-domestic buildings (for example, NHS trusts, universities, hotels, supermarkets, office blocks)
- owners of potential waste heat sources (energy from waste operations, data centres, industrial operators, sewage utilities)
Updates to this page
Last updated 24 September 2024 + show all updates
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The first outputs from the heat network zoning pilot are available and can be used to identify where heat networks exist and/or are highly likely to grow or be built out in the future.
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Privacy notice: clarification on how commercial data and information provided to the Zoning Programme will be processed.
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Autumn 2022 update on pilot published.
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First published.