Proposals for heat network zoning

These proposals envisage central and local government working together with industry and local stakeholders to identify and designate areas within which heat networks are the lowest cost, low carbon solution for decarbonising heating.

This consultation is government’s first in what is intended to be a multi-year project developing the necessary legislation and processes for zoning. At this stage we are seeking views on the broad principles for how heat network zoning should be designed ahead of later consultations which will go into further detail. In particular we are asking for views on:

• the methodology to be used for identifying and designating heat network zones
• roles and responsibilities of different parties involved in the zoning process
• requiring certain buildings within zones to connect to a heat network, with an exemption process to avoid sub-optimal outcomes
• requirements on certain parties to provide information to support the identification and designation of heat network zones
• whether heat networks in zones should meet a low carbon requirement
• approaches for how heat networks are deployed in zones
• proposals to ensure that consumers within zones are not adversely affected
• the enforcement, monitoring and reporting regimes under zoning

The consultation will be of interest to the heat network industry and those with a broader interest in the decarbonisation of heat:

• local authorities
• electricity and gas distribution network operators
• housing associations
• owners of large public sector and commercial non-domestic buildings (for example, NHS trusts, universities, hotels, supermarkets, office blocks)
• owners of potential waste heat sources (energy from waste operations, data centres, industrial operators, sewage utilities)
• consumer advocacy groups

We have published an Impact Assessment alongside this consultation where details of the economic case are discussed in more detail.

Read the BEIS consultation privacy notice.

Please don’t send responses by post to the department at the moment as we may not be able to access them.