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5 May 2009

The potential and costs of district heating networks - a report to DECC by Pöyry Energy Consulting and Faber Maunsell (AECOM)

The Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Lord Hunt has launched the Pöyry Energy Consulting / Faber Maunsell (AECOM) report on district heating at the Local Authority Community Heating Summit.

District heating is a system where the heat for an area is produced centrally, and hot water or steam is transported to the buildings through a network of pipes. It is a potentially important option available to communities and developments seeking to lower fuel bills and reduce carbon emissions, given the economies of scale and opportunities to use a variety of low-carbon and renewable sources to generate the heat.

The report provides an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of district heating, calculating the potential in the UK and assessing the economic and non-economic barriers to further investment and deployment. The report will feed into the evidence base for the DECC Heat and Energy Saving Strategy which seeks to understand the range of factors affecting deployment of district heating.

A full copy of the report can be accessed by clicking here (PDF 694 kb) . Additionally, an executive summary is also available, which can be accessed from this link (PDF 223 kb) .