The Heat Network Delivery Unit (HNDU) at the Department for Energy and Climate Change awarded the council £73,783 to particularly focus towards proving the feasibility of heat networks on the town’s regeneration sites, close to the award winning Twin Sails Bridge.
Heat networks can provide cheaper, greener heat to local homes and businesses, whilst increasing local energy security and resilience to climate change. Heat networks distribute heat from a single source to multiple homes and businesses through a network of underground pipes, which can be more efficient than heating buildings individually. Connected buildings avoid the cost of individual heating systems and maintenance, and can benefit from lower heating bills through more efficient generation and making use of waste heat.
The Council was supported by the Carbon Trust in its application for HNDU funding. The grant will cover the cost of ongoing Carbon Trust support to enable the Council to reduce transaction costs and increase their internal knowledge and capacity to take local heat network projects to successful procurement.
HNDU funding is designed to help local authorities finance the cost of developing heat network projects, including external legal, commercial and project governance advice. The fourth round of HNDU funding opened on 16 October.
Cllr Ian Potter, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Carbon Management, Borough of Poole, said: "The Borough’s Covenant of Mayors Action Plan sets the ambitious target of reducing Borough-wide emissions by 30% by 2020 from 2005 levels. Heat Networks can play a key part in achieving this purpose and we are delighted to have the opportunity to investigate the feasibility of heat networks for one of the largest regeneration sites in the South West."
For further information please contact the Carbon Trust press office on 020 7170 7050 or email press@carbontrust.com.
About the Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust is an independent company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. The Carbon Trust:
- advises businesses, governments and the public sector on opportunities in a sustainable, low-carbon world;
- measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organisations, products and services;
- helps develop and deploy low-carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power
Notes to editors
The Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) was established in September 2013, in response to a commitment in The future of heating: meeting the challenge (published in March 2013). HNDU will provide grant funding and guidance to local authorities in England and Wales to explore heat network opportunities until March 2015. Local authorities apply for HNDU support through bidding rounds, with around 50 applications received in the three rounds to date. All bids are reviewed by a panel of engineering, financial and commercial experts with significant experience in heat networks development. HNDU grant funding of no more than 67% of eligible costs is provided to successful local authorities under section 31 of the Local Government Act. HNDU define eligible costs are external commissioned consultancy costs for heat network development work; heat mapping, master planning, feasibility studies and detailed project development.
The Covenant of Mayors is a European cooperation movement involving local and regional authorities. Signatories of the Covenant of Mayors voluntarily commit to increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources on their territories. By their commitment, they support the European Union 20% CO2 reduction objective to be reached by 2020.
