Low-carbon energy boost for England as government launches £270m green heat fund

The government has today announced a new £270m fund to boost low-carbon heat network projects across England.

The Green Heat Network Fund, which will focus on heating for homes and businesses, will only support low-carbon technologies like heat pumps, solar and geothermal energy.

The fund aims to enable more towns and cities to implement low-carbon heating systems from 2022 onwards, driving the government’s ambition to phase out the use of fossil fuel boilers.

Heat networks, which draw energy from a central source, could use recovered urban heat - such as the heat from the London Underground - without producing more by-products and emissions.

Heat in buildings currently accounts for around 21 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions.

Lord Callanan, energy minister, commented: “Finding a mix of innovative solutions to how we heat our homes in the most affordable way is going to be vital as we support people to gradually transition away from gas boilers over the next 15 years.

“Today’s announcement shows we are going even further in our goals to expand this tried and tested heat networks technology, making even more use of the likes of recovered heat from the London Underground to heat our homes.

“The Green Heat Network Fund will also allow us to drive forward the new, cost-effective and low-carbon technologies we need to kick-start new industries and support new jobs in the low-carbon technology sector as we build back greener from the pandemic.”