District heating to be ‘primary measure’ in UK energy efficiency platform

As part of a strategy to reduce energy bills, the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change has announced that district heating will be central to its energy efficiency platform.

The revamped policy will include district heating schemes ‘as a primary measure’ under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), DECC said in a statement. The government aims to reduce the cost of ECO, which provides energy efficiency measures for low-income households, as part of a wider response to growing political pressure over energy prices. Proposed changes are expected to result in average savings of £50 (US$82) per year per household.

‘This announcement is a welcome alteration to ECO and would see district heating benefits opened to a wider group of consumers,’ said Tim Rotheray, director of the Combined Heat and Power Association. ‘However, reducing the spend on the ECO scheme as a whole is a concern as a focus on energy efficiency is a key solution to the issue of rising energy costs.’

Source: COSPP