Copy These! 5 Big Local Ideas About Installing Low-Carbon Heating!

Part of Swaffham Prior Heat Network

1. (Di)Strictly come heating! 

Neighbourhoods, apartment blocks and even whole villages can share a single heating system, making access to hot water and heating fairer, and enabling the use of large low-carbon heat generation like ground or water source air-pumps. In Northern Europe this approach is fairly common, but the UK is only just catching up. In Swaffham Prior, a village in Cambridgeshire, the UK’s first rural heat network now supplies 100 houses.  

Hear more about this on the Carbon Copy Podcast. 

2. Waste heat? What a load of hot air! 

Factories, offices and other workspaces often generate a lot of heat from the machines and processes that go on inside them. In many cities, this heat is now being diverted into district heating systems – rather than simply being pumped out into the air and wasted, it is diverted to homes and community buildings. This reduces emissions and provides a cost saving, as no additional energy is being used to fuel the network. 

Read about how this is working in Islington, where waste heat from the London Underground is keeping people warm! 

3. Better insulation protects you from inflation! 

The UK has some of the worst housing stock in Europe, and leaky, draughty homes are much more expensive and fuel intensive to heat. When thinking about installing low-carbon heating, it’s important to see it as part of a whole decarbonisation plan, including replacing older windows, fixing holes in roofs and walls, and importantly, fitting effective insulation to ensure warm homes stay warm. A better insulated home will be much cheaper to heat – regardless of what the source of that heat is – so it is sensible to do even if you’re not quite ready for a new boiler or heating system. 

Listen to our podcast episode Insulate Our Homes to learn more. 

4. Gas darn it! Time is running out for fossil fuels. 

In early 2025 the UK Government rescinded its commitment to phase out gas boilers in homes by 2035. It’s unclear what the timeline is for policy action on this, however there is still a plan to ensure no new houses are built with gas boilers (the Future Homes Standard) which should be fully rolled out by 2028. People in homes and business premises across the country have been wrangling with fluctuating energy costs over the past few years, with gas (and heating oil, for those that use it) prices affected by global events and supply. So, in spite of a lack of top-down action to eradicate fossil fuels as our main source of heating, many communities and households are leading the way and proving that making the switch is beneficial both economically and environmentally. 

Read about MaidEnergy’s project installing a ground source heat pump system at Thames Valley Athletics Centre. 

5. Warm homes are not a luxury. 

The cost-of-living crisis has seen thousands of people having to choose between basic needs: buying enough food to eat, or keeping their homes warm.  Support is available for people on lower incomes who are trying save money and make where they live more energy efficient. 

Read about what the Warm Homes Plan means for people in the UK. 

Install Low-Carbon Heating is the latest focus in Carbon Copy’s 25 Big Local Actions in 2025 campaign. For more information about this and to discover a local action that’s right for you, visit our campaign landing page.