Opportunity areas for district heating networks in the UK: second National Comprehensive Assessment
This study identifies the opportunity for low carbon heat network deployment across the country as a whole, and separately for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Decarbonising heating and cooling is a central part of the UK government’s strategy to reach net zero, and heat networks are vital to achieving this. They are a proven, cost-effective way of providing reliable, efficient, low carbon heat. This research provides more detail on the geographic opportunities for low carbon heat network deployment across the country as a whole and for each of the 4 nations separately, including:
- an overview of current heating and cooling demand and supply in the UK
- detailed maps showing the spatial distribution and density of supply and demand across the UK and each nation separately
- an assessment of the economic potential for district heating as an efficient heating solution in the UK, accompanied by maps showing opportunity areas
- a simplified cost benefit analysis comparing heat networks with other, non-networked heating solutions based on highly stylised alternative future energy pathways
- an overview of existing, planned and possible policy measures that are or could support delivery of the economic potential
The study represents the second UK National Comprehensive Assessment of the potential for efficient heating and cooling undertaken to meet the requirements of Regulation 4 of the Energy Efficiency (Encouragement, Assessment and Information) Regulations 2014.
The first assessment was published in 2015.
The study focuses on district heating networks which will play a key role in the delivery of efficient low carbon heating. Aside from estimating current cooling demand in the UK, no further analysis on cooling was undertaken but the UK government is undertaking work to better understand the needs for and provision of cooling in the future.