ADE calls for local zoning for heat decarbonisation

The UK should be divided into zones to enable the development of tailor-made local solutions for decarbonising heat, a new paper has urged.

The study, published today (5 July) by the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), said there is no one-size-fits-all solution for the whole of the country.

It instead called for a patchwork of zoning frameworks to enable local councils and networks to identify the best package of energy efficiency and technology or fuel heating solutions for their individual area.

The nature of these packages would depend on localities’ differing opportunities and constraints, such as access to wasted heat, the extent to which electricity grids need costly reinforcement and the potential scale of electric vehicle deployment.

The paper, entitled ‘Heat and Energy Efficiency Zoning’, said: “The least cost, lowest carbon opportunity for local areas will differ across the UK. It is crucial that the governments of the UK embed the principle that there is no silver bullet for decarbonising the UK’s heating, and that there is no solution which will not require some level of disruption for energy users.”

This framework would also help to create a visible pipeline, which would provide companies with the incentives to invest in local low carbon supply chains and skills.

The report said zoning should be trialled between 2022 and 2025 in areas with different heating characteristics.

This would enable policy makers to better understand the impact that strategic planning could have on local energy networks.

Councils should also have a statutory duty to identify heat zones when drawing up their local plans, said the paper, which also recommended that Ofgem should impose a license requirement on electricity and gas network operators to engage with local authorities on this process.

In addition, DNOs should be required to produce distribution level future energy scenarios, like those issued by National Grid Electricity System Operator.

Tying in with the approach outlined in the ADE report, UK Power Networks (UKPN) has launched its Heat Street project, which will explore opportunities for industry and local authority collaboration presented by zoning.

Ian Cameron, head of customer service and innovation at UKPN, said: “By working closely and collaboratively, we can bring local authorities and key stakeholders to the discussion and enact targeted solutions to facilitate the uptake of cost efficient low carbon heating for all customers.”

Charlotte Owen, policy manager at ADE, said: “Enabling local decision making and locally tailored decarbonisation pathways will play a key role in reaching net zero. Without implementing approaches such as zoning, the UK risks falling behind on carbon budgets, as set out by the Committee on Climate Change by missing opportunities for whole systems optimisation, including the use of demand-side response.

“The report suggests that the UK must commit to a strategic patchwork approach to heat decarbonisation, over a single technology pathway. Otherwise, we risk preventing local areas that already have clear decarbonisation opportunities from acting.”