A heat network is a system of insulated pipes that connect to buildings to provide heat from a central source.  By connecting to a centralised energy centre, buildings can remove the need for individual gas boilers, with their associated impacts on air quality.  Heat networks are the most cost-effective and simple way to decarbonise heat at scale in a city centre because they:

• Can simply replace the gas boiler in the plant room
• Once the pipes are in the ground they can connect to any low/zero carbon heating solution – buildings are not locked in to any one technology
• Have the lowest cost per kW to install for a commercial building, compared to other low carbon heating options such as individual air source or ground source heat pumps
• A large network with numerous users is more efficient and results in competitive pricing for users
• All maintenance and replacement costs are included in the energy price, so there are no unforeseen costs