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NETWORK / 32 / JUNE 2016 DECARBONISING HEAT Heat networks District heat networks can supply heat e ciently and at low cost to areas of mixed use with strong "anchor clients" such as municipal buildings, o ces and leisure centres. However, it can also be suitable for less densely populated areas as part of community energy schemes – as well as for • ats in high-rise buildings. Sources of heat for such networks – generally from sustainable biomass, geothermal, waste heat and heat pumps – are available, although limited. Currently heat networks fall outside Ofgem's remit, leaving customers unprotected, although the Heat Trust, a voluntary independent protection scheme, was set up last year. If this growing area were regulated, consumer protection would be bolstered, and operators and developers would have statutory powers that would simplify access, land purchase and wayleaving. Butƒ it would also help lower the cost of capital, which currently leaves many commercially funded schemes too expensive to progress (more overleaf). Among the changes to the RHI scheme suggested by the government is a proposal to scrap support for solar thermal generation because of the declining number of installations since 2010. However, solar thermal technology could be potentially important for the district heating sector inƒthe future. Integrated Electric Heating Project The Energy Systems Catapult last month announced that EDF Energy's UK research and development centre will be extend- ing its existing open source BuildSysPro modelling tool to highlight the speci" c opportunities and challenges of provid- ingƒ heatƒ through various formsƒ ofƒ elec- tricƒheating. The Integrated Electric Heating Project is a key strand of the Energy Technologies Institute's Smart Systems and Heat pro- gramme. The programme was instigated to model the interaction between the heat- ing system, control system, building fabric, weather and consumer requirements across a number of domestic UK building arche- types and household types. The intent is to create economical and future-proof heat- ingƒsystems. The catapult is currently delivering the " rst phase of the programme on behalf of theƒ ETI. The modelling for the Integrated Electric Heating Project is due to be com- pleted this winter. N H E AT M AT T E R S Dr Keith MacLean, director, Providence Policy When it comes to the energy debate in politics and the media, one could be for- given for thinking that only electricity matters. In reality our consumption of heat in buildings is not only nearly twice that of electricity, but it is also much more directly related to our health and wellbeing. The immediate impacts of power outages can be managed relatively easily – many of us have had experience of this in the af- termath of bad weather. Cop- ing with the cold, as many on lower incomes and in poor housing do throughout the winter, can have much more serious impacts. So, when it comes to the need to reduce our carbon emissions, there are not only environmental benefi ts to be realised, but social and economic ones too – reduc- ing consumption through energy effi ciency and modern heating can lead to lower bills, greater comfort and improved health. Finding appropriate solutions for the heat sector means investing in our existing building stock, over 90% of which will still be here in 2050. Such a retrofi t programme would have to cover the conversion of about 20,000 properties a week over 25 years. Along with colleagues from Imperial College, I have just published a report that examines the options for low-carbon heating and for the fi rst time evaluates the benefi ts, costs and impacts of the main infrastructure solutions that, alongside the investment programme in UK building stock, are needed to meet national and international carbon- reduction targets and com- mitments. We have determined through comparisons of these solutions – repurpos- ing gas grids for use with hydrogen, electrifi cation through heat pumps or direct radiators, and low-carbon district heating – that all could have a role to play for different types of housing and occupancy patterns, but none is a "silver bullet". We highlight for each approach further development needs to make them suitable for use at the large scale re- quired and to deal with other issues, like meeting winter peak demand, which is fi ve to six times greater than that for electricity, or the need for storage to maintain resilience. We recommend the setting up of appropriate governance and regulation arrangements to deal with heat matters and to oversee the choice of solutions, which are likely to depend on more than just simple economics and be strongly infl uenced by the non-fi nancial impacts that the installation or modifi cation of the networks will have on households, businesses and transport. We conclude that al- though the challenges may appear daunting, they can be made more manageable with suitable preparation, like pilot schemes, and through well executed, long-term infrastructure investment programmes. HEATED DEBATE Solar thermal requires the highest subsidy from govern- ment, but has the lowest upfront cost for consumers and can be widely deployed. It can also be a valu- able adjunct to heat pumps and biomass boil- ers, improving the effi ciency of such instal- lations. But the government does not think these points justify ongoing RHI support. The Solar Trade Association says cutting support now will "kill off" the supply chain.