Waste not, want not. That’s how the saying goes, and it is a saying local authorities in England and Wales are taking to heart. In an effort to reach the countries' goal of slashing carbon emissions by 2050, new government-backed plans call for a huge expansion of “heat networks” that use warmth generated by industrial machinery, geothermal energy, and subway trains to heat homes, The Telegraph reports.
A heat network is, as it sounds, a large network of insulated pipes that transports hot water or steam to “heat exchanger” units in homes in order to heat up the mains water supply. Basically, the networks make use of heat that is produced as a waste by-product of commercial or industrial processes in order to replace less efficient domestic gas boilers.
Of the 381 local authorities in England and Wales, 131 of them are now working on some sort of heat network plan.
Islington, north London is planning to use heat generated from the Northern Line of the London Underground network while other locations are exploring using geothermal heat from deep beneath the earth's surface or even recycling heat from pottery kilns from the local ceramics industry.
In 2015, an additional £320 million was set aside to help fund the construction of up to 200 projects, which would produce enough heat to supply 400,000 homes.
There are still two main hurdles that need to be overcome for these plans to work, however. The first issue is in creating a viable business model for the rollout to millions of households. Currently, it is difficult to finance a project without securing customers, but it is difficult to secure customers for something that doesn’t yet exist.
The second issue is in figuring out how to deal with “customer protection, choice, and pricing” Richard Howard, Head of Energy and Environment at Policy Exchange says in an interview with The Telegraph. “Heat networks generally lock customers in on very long term contracts, which can be 15-20 years.” A contract that long may scare away potential customers.
While heat networks seem to offer a glimmer of hope for de-carbonizing heating supplies, it remains to be seen just how viable they will actually be once implementation begins.
Related Stories
| Oct 21, 2014
Inside LEED v4: The view from the MEP engineering seats
Much of the spirited discussion around LEED v4 has been centered on the Materials & Resources Credit. At least one voice in the wilderness is shouting for greater attention to another huge change in LEED: the shift to ASHRAE 90.1-2010 as the new reference standard for Energy & Atmosphere prerequisites and credits.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 14, 2014
USGBC awards individuals, firms for leading the way in sustainable construction
This year’s Leadership Award recipients include Christine Ervin, David Orr, Jim DeCesare, Lloyd Alter, Tom Paladino, The Near Westside Initiative, and Mars, Inc.
| Sep 29, 2014
Organically grown bricks, urban flood control system among 2014 Holcim Award winners
The 13 Holcim Award winners for North America illustrate how sustainable construction continues to evolve.
| Sep 29, 2014
Report finds links between office design, health and productivity
A new report from the World Green Building Council finds “overwhelming evidence” to support office design as a significant influencer of the health, wellbeing and productivity of staff.
| Sep 16, 2014
Studies reveal growing demand for LEED-credentialed professionals across building sector
The study showed that demand for the LEED Accredited Professional and LEED Green Associate credentials grew 46 percent over a 12-month period.
| Sep 15, 2014
Sustainability rating systems: Are they doomed?
None of the hundreds of existing green building rating systems is perfect. Some of them are too documentation-heavy. Some increase short-term project cost. Some aren’t rigorous enough or include contentious issues, writes HDR's Michaella Wittmann.
| Sep 12, 2014
Armstrong first in Pennsylvania to earn LEED Platinum recertification from USGBC
The Armstrong facility is the first building in Pennsylvania and among only 17 buildings globally to achieve recertification at the highest level possible under USGBC’s LEED-EBOM program.
| Sep 7, 2014
USGBC + American Chemistry Council: Unlikely partners in green building
In this new partnership, LEED will benefit from the materials expertise of ACC and its member companies. We believe this has the potential to be transformational, writes Skanska USA's President and CEO Michael McNally.
