Gateshead wins vital funds to help expand innovative heat networks
A project to build on the success of Gateshead's ground breaking District Energy Network will go ahead after winning over £270,000 of national grant funding.
The "Engaging Gateshead with Zero Carbon Heat" project has been funded through the Innovate UK 'Fast Followers' competition, which provides a £6m fund to drive forward key net zero projects across the country.
The 'Fast Followers' projects are all designed to overcome non-technical barriers to projects, such as citizen engagement or procurement.
Gateshead is one of only 21 projects nationwide to win funding.
Gateshead Council will be working alongside Northumbria University to deliver the project.
The council has the ambition to deliver a heat network to reach 7,500 homes over the next five years and in the longer term to reach 15,000 homes.
The existing District Energy Network has capacity to provide heat to the equivalent of 5,000 homes, and it already has 350 domestic customers, plus serving 18 other public and council buildings.
Last year we switched on a 6 megawatt, £9m, mine water heating system to provide renewable heat for the network, using warm water from coal mines 150 metres below Gateshead.
To reach our expansion targets, we need to:
• significantly increase awareness of heat networks among Gateshead residents by talking through how they work and increasing awareness of net zero heating.
• help people understand and embrace the use of a new heating system which operates in a vastly different way to gas
• develop financial structures and partnerships to achieve delivery at scale
• establish what we will need from the supply chain, and the skilled workforce required to install and maintain heat network services - helping to grow the number of jobs in the local green economy
Experts in behaviour change from Northumbria University will work with the council and local residents to better understand any barriers to how households use heat networks. From there, they can develop new ways to encourage residents to connect their homes to heat networks.
The project is intended to support local and regional economic development strategies, by creating conditions for skills / jobs growth in heat networks, and supporting the North East of England as the UK's High Potential Opportunity for Heat Networks, to attract overseas investment.
Councillor John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said: "This funding is vital as we look to expand our heat network. Working with innovative technology, it's so important that we explain how it works, to help people in Gateshead to benefit from our heat network.
"We also want to ensure that we have the skills required to keep the network growing. We want our work on heat networks to benefit the people of Gateshead as customers, but also to help create good quality jobs for people in the green economy."
Dr Michael Smith, Associate Professor in Psychology, from Northumbria University said: "We are excited to be working with Gateshead Council to help achieve their ambition to heat 15,000 homes through heat networks.
"Engaging consumers and understanding how to support residents to change their energy use behaviours will be integral to successfully achieving this ambition. This funding from Innovate UK will enable us to support Gateshead Council with this important engagement work as they look to accelerate progress towards the aim of achieving net zero."
The project will see Gateshead Council recruit a Net Zero Innovation and Delivery Officer for two years.
This person will be responsible for delivering the project, working alongside internal departments and Northumbria University.
A project to build on the success of Gateshead's ground breaking District Energy Network will go ahead after winning over £270,000 of national grant funding.
The "Engaging Gateshead with Zero Carbon Heat" project has been funded through the Innovate UK 'Fast Followers' competition, which provides a £6m fund to drive forward key net zero projects across the country.
The 'Fast Followers' projects are all designed to overcome non-technical barriers to projects, such as citizen engagement or procurement.
Gateshead is one of only 21 projects nationwide to win funding.
Gateshead Council will be working alongside Northumbria University to deliver the project.
The council has the ambition to deliver a heat network to reach 7,500 homes over the next five years and in the longer term to reach 15,000 homes.
The existing District Energy Network has capacity to provide heat to the equivalent of 5,000 homes, and it already has 350 domestic customers, plus serving 18 other public and council buildings.
Last year we switched on a 6 megawatt, £9m, mine water heating system to provide renewable heat for the network, using warm water from coal mines 150 metres below Gateshead.
To reach our expansion targets, we need to:
• significantly increase awareness of heat networks among Gateshead residents by talking through how they work and increasing awareness of net zero heating.
• help people understand and embrace the use of a new heating system which operates in a vastly different way to gas
• develop financial structures and partnerships to achieve delivery at scale
• establish what we will need from the supply chain, and the skilled workforce required to install and maintain heat network services - helping to grow the number of jobs in the local green economy
Experts in behaviour change from Northumbria University will work with the council and local residents to better understand any barriers to how households use heat networks. From there, they can develop new ways to encourage residents to connect their homes to heat networks.
The project is intended to support local and regional economic development strategies, by creating conditions for skills / jobs growth in heat networks, and supporting the North East of England as the UK's High Potential Opportunity for Heat Networks, to attract overseas investment.
Councillor John McElroy, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Gateshead Council, said: "This funding is vital as we look to expand our heat network. Working with innovative technology, it's so important that we explain how it works, to help people in Gateshead to benefit from our heat network.
"We also want to ensure that we have the skills required to keep the network growing. We want our work on heat networks to benefit the people of Gateshead as customers, but also to help create good quality jobs for people in the green economy."
Dr Michael Smith, Associate Professor in Psychology, from Northumbria University said: "We are excited to be working with Gateshead Council to help achieve their ambition to heat 15,000 homes through heat networks.
"Engaging consumers and understanding how to support residents to change their energy use behaviours will be integral to successfully achieving this ambition. This funding from Innovate UK will enable us to support Gateshead Council with this important engagement work as they look to accelerate progress towards the aim of achieving net zero."
The project will see Gateshead Council recruit a Net Zero Innovation and Delivery Officer for two years.
This person will be responsible for delivering the project, working alongside internal departments and Northumbria University.
