Green Heat Network Fund

On 4th March 2022, the Government launched the new £288 million Green Heat Network Fund, to support low carbon technology. This will boost the roll out of next generation clean heating projects in England, as the Government continues to provide support to reduce the cost of energy and reduce reliance on gas.

The majority of homes in the UK are heated by gas, and heat networks are the most cost-effective way of reducing reliance on gas, whilst cutting bills.

Schemes that will deliver clean heating to homes, offices , commercial and public buildings will be able to apply for grants to the Green Heat Network, over the next three years. I am pleased that this fund is expected to reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 5.6 million cars of the road for a year.

Heat networks avoid the need for households and workplaces to rely on individual, energy intensive heating solutions such as gas boilers, and instead offers carbon emissions savings by supplying heat to buildings from a central source.

This funding will support the uptake of low-carbon technologies such as; heat pumps, solar and geothermal energy as a central heating source.

The Energy Minister said: “Heating in buildings forms a significant part of the UK’s carbon footprint, so changing how we warm our homes and workspaces is vital to meeting our world-leading climate change commitments. Heat networks are an effective way of reducing carbon emissions and this fund will enable us to accelerate the roll-out of these cutting-edge and green technologies.”

This scheme is expected to fund the delivery of an estimated 9.7 million tonnes of total carbon savings by 2050.  The independent Committee on Climate Change estimate that with continued support, heat networks could meet nearly 20% of overall UK demand for heating by 2050.

 

The Green Heat Network Fund is the successor scheme to the government’s Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP), which has provided more than £250 million of funding for schemes across England and Wales since 2018.

 

Applications for the Green Heat Network Fund will be open to public, private and third sector applicants in England on 14th March 2022 and is anticipated to run to 2025.

 

I want our environment left in a better state than we found it for future generations. I am confident these measures will help care for our environment, which is one of my key priorities I have set out for my constituents.