Tens of thousands of UK homes, businesses and public buildings are one step closer to benefitting from greener, cleaner energy thanks to £44 million of government funding.
The funding package addresses the urgent need to reduce the carbon footprint of heating homes and workspaces which makes up almost a third of all UK carbon emissions.
Of the £44 million funding announced, £30 million will fund three innovative heat network projects providing low carbon energy in south-east London, Manchester and Cambridgeshire, whilst helping to bring down energy bills.
A heat network is a distribution system of insulated pipes that takes heat from a central source, such as a combined heat and power plant or heat recovered from industry and delivers it to a number of domestic or non-domestic buildings. They are a proven, cost-effective way of providing reliable low carbon heat at a fair price to consumers.
Minister for Climate Change Lord Callanan said: “Almost a third of all UK carbon emissions come from heating our homes and addressing this is a vital part of eradicating our contribution to climate change by 2050.
“(This) funding package will accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies that will both reduce emissions, and ensure people’s homes are warmer, greener and cheaper to run.
“Securing a lasting move away from fossil fuels to heat our homes will allow thousands of households and businesses to feel the benefits of projects that are breaking new ground and making our villages, towns and cities cleaner places to live and work.”
Meanwhile, the CLC has published the second iteration of the National Retrofit Strategy, a 20y-year blueprint for how the construction industry can work with Government to retrofit the UK’s 28 million existing homes.
Following open consultation with the construction industry, the strategy now has over 50 supporter organisations. In partnership with 38 signatories, the CLC has written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, enclosing the strategy, and calling on the Government to adopt its themes within the content and implementation of the Heat and Buildings Strategy.
Mark Reynolds, Deputy Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, said: “Our homes account for 20% of UK carbon emissions and 35% of energy use. To deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, the construction industry must work with the Government and take action on reducing the environmental impact of our buildings.
“As an integral part of the CLC’s Co2nstruct Zero campaign, I am pleased that the National Retrofit Strategy is steadily gaining supporters ahead of United Nations Climate Change Conference in November.”
Brian Berry, Chair of the CLC Domestic RMI Working Group said: “The National Retrofit Strategy is a blueprint for making green home upgrades accessible to all British households. This will help make our homes more comfortable and cheaper to run.
“This strategy also has the potential to unlock 100,000 new jobs and save 2.53Mt of carbon dioxide in the first four years, in return for £5.3 billion of Government investment. This will support the levelling-up agenda, helping us to build back better and greener.”
