Member Article

Heat networks can help tackle climate change says Switch2 Energy

Heat networks are the logical choice for greener urban housing development – to meet stricter emissions reduction targets, says district and community heating specialist Switch2 Energy.

Disconnecting new homes from the gas grid by 2025 and rolling out more heat networks in towns and cities are two of the recommendations by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) in its new report ’ Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming’.

“Serious plans are needed to clean up the UK’s heating systems”, warns the CCC, which sets out a broad range of measures that UK, Wales and Scotland governments can take to deliver on a proposed new net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050.

Reacting to the report, Richard Slee, CEO of Switch2 Energy, said: “In high density housing in towns and cities, it’s environmentally reckless to heat each home with an individual gas boiler, where higher efficiency, low or zero emission heat networks would be viable”.

The climate change watchdog’s proposed net-zero target is designed to end the UK’s contribution to global warming and deliver on its Paris Agreement commitment.

Recommendations cover all areas of society and the economy – from turning down the thermostat to 19°C in winter – to improving building insulation and accelerating the roll-out of electric vehicles.

Richard Slee added: “If policymakers adopt the CCC’s recommendations, the housing industry has a mountain to climb in ensuring that the share of low carbon heating increases from 4.5% today to 90% in 2050. Heat networks have a crucial role to play in providing greener, more affordable energy, but these are complex infrastructure projects and developers must factor them into their planning as soon as possible.”

Switch2 Energy supplies 70,000 residents and 180 clients across 500 heat networks. Its end-to-end service includes equipment design, manufacture and supply, metering, billing and pay-as-you-go, through to maintenance, energy centre management and customer services.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Switch2 Energy Ltd .