Renewables have a place in community heating
Energy prices remain a hot topic for UK householders. According to figures from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), UK homes spend on average £584 a year on electricity, a figure that rises to £715 for gas consumption. Home energy efficiency measures are now highly promoted by the authorities to help people tackle rising costs, and a new generation of home heating appliances, such as the latest ErP efficient boilers, are playing their part in attempting to minimise energy consumption levels and reduce energy bills.
The future energy needs of the nation will be significantly influenced by a combination of two critical factors: cost of supply and fuel security.
One strategic approach to the energy conundrum facing the Government is the potential of communal heating schemes to combat both supply and cost issues. While work has commenced in this area, there is still much to think about, including the future role of renewable technologies as part of the communal heating solution.
Scandinavia and Denmark have led the way with the widespread development and installation of communal heating schemes. This was a result of the 1970s oil crisis which exposed Denmark – then a high oil importer – to massive hikes in the price of oil. The answer was the establishment of systems to heat entire districts via colossal boilers and a network of heating pipes into homes and premises. The system also provides additional benefits such as the capture of surplus heat from electricity generating stations, factories and public transport networks and its redirection back into the communal heating system.
In the UK, conscious of the need to rebalance the energy picture and tackle cost and supply challenges, DECC has, in recent times, looked to the Nordic example and sought to increase the number of households connected to existing communal heating networks. In the case of district heating, it wants an increase from the current reported level of just over 200,000 households, which accounts for just 2 per cent. The Government would like to see this figure rise to nearer 40 per cent by the middle of this century.
Funding of £7m has been made available and a number of local authorities have instigated work on communal heating schemes with projects underway in London, Sheffield, Leicester, Nottingham and Bristol demonstrating an appetite for communal, central sources of heating. Community leaders are citing incentives such as lower heating bills to entice residents on board, while councillors, who are taking the plunge to develop the infrastructure needed to instigate such heating schemes, are attracted by the reduced heating bills they will have to pay for local civic buildings, hospitals, educational establishments and social housing developments.
With many schemes in a planning or design phase, this presents a real moment of opportunity to take stock of the most appropriate technology solutions that can underpin communal heating strategies.
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