£6m funding for local authorities to develop heating and cooling networks

A new 6m grant funding programme has been launched to help Local Authorities (LAs) in England and Wales to develop new heating and cooling networks, and expand existing networks.

To win a share of the funding, local authorities must bring forward ambitious and innovative proposals to develop and deliver heat networks that - as much as possible - draw their heat energy from renewable, sustainable or recoverable sources. 

This could include any system in which heat is generated off-site by renewable or recovered sources such as waste heat from industry, energy from waste plants and biomass combined heat and power. Many university campuses, new mixed commercial and residential developments and high rise flats draw their heat from these systems. 

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: "Increasing the use of low carbon heating in our buildings is helping to reduce our dependency on costly, imported oil and gas. 

"Thanks to the Coalition Government's support, many UK buildings have already made the switch from traditional fuels to low carbon heat sources. This new grant funding programme builds on these successes by helping Local Authorities develop more commercially viable low carbon heat networks."