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UTILITY WEEK | 11TH - 17TH MARCH 2016 | 21 Operations & Assets 1. No silver bullet. It's likely that supply of heat in the future will involve a range of approaches that combine marginal gains in efficiency and decarbonisation for a bet- ter overall solution. 2. Peaks and troughs. The seasonality of heat demand is one of the biggest challenges to the creation of fit for purpose technical and policy solu- tions. 3. Locality matters. Local decision making is likely to play a pivotal role in the future of heat. 4. Knowledge needed. More independent evi- dence about the cost and practicality of different heat/energy solutions is needed to support informed decision- making. 5. Don't throw the gas network away. We have significant existing infrastructure for the provision of heat – a cost- effective and efficient approach to the provision of heat in the future should include the opti- misation and adaptation of this infrastructure. Five key points to take away In assocation with: James Heappey MP, member of the Energy and Climate Change Committee (Conservative) "In Denmark heat is seen as a utility in its own right. That is not the case here but it is a cultural shift that needs to be achieved by industry and gov- ernment." Tim Rotheray, chief executive, Association for Decentralised Energy "There's no invest- ment framework for heat networks. If we Heat will be on the agenda at Utility Week Live. To find out more, visit: www.utilityweeklive.co.uk/ seminar-agenda/ Angus MacNeil, chair, Committee for Energy and Climate Change "There are different energy approaches and it depends on which levers govern- ment wants to pull whether certain mar- kets will be a success- ful as they could be. So is there a desire in government for this?" John Morea, chief executive, SGN "Our latest Ofgem- funded innovation projects in Oban and Kent I think, go a long way in securing gas as a primary fuel in the UK's energy mix." Graham Edwards, chief executive, Wales and West Utilities "District heating is clearly viable and appropriate in cer- tain areas. But our research shows that of the district heat- ing schemes around the UK today, most of them are sourced from gas, so this is not a question about mov- ing away from gas as the primary source of heat." " are going to build the right network in the right place and accept that we are likely to have a multiplicity of networks and approaches, then we need to make sure that there is a level playing field on which investors can decide which infrastructure options are best for them."