Realising the social benefits of district heating through strategic planning

Affordability, low carbon and security are hailed as the three critical characteristics of our future energy system. In this respect, district heating offers towns and cities many attractive characteristics. In particular, under the right governance models, it can offer social benefits by lowering energy costs and alleviating fuel poverty. This research uses the case study of the UK, a country where less than 2% of heat is delivered by district heating, but where levels of fuel poverty are a significant challenge. UK local authorities play an active role in the early planning stages of district heating and many are aiming to alleviate fuel poverty with these projects. The results show that the full variety of actor motivations are not reflected within their decision criteria; although local authorities aspire to take a strategic planning role, this is not reflected in the mapping tools that they use in feasibility work. We propose a more flexible approach to mapping for strategic planning and consider its role in bringing forward DH schemes that reduce fuel poverty.