City council builds on plans to become net zero by 2030.
Local people could soon be swimming in the UK’s most environmentally friendly pool and browsing books in its greenest library as Milton Keynes Central Library, Woughton Leisure Centre, and Milton Keynes City Council’s civic building are set to become the first council buildings in the UK to join an innovative new zero carbon heat network.
Milton Keynes City Council has successfully bid for £4.35m in funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to prepare three of its buildings for connection to a heat network as part of its plans to become a net zero council by 2030. The scheme is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix.
Heat networks capture local sources of heat that would otherwise go to waste, such as from commercial data servers or the heat produced by processing waste. Milton Keynes City Council processes 133,000 tonnes of waste that can’t be recycled at its Waste Recovery Park each year, and as well as creating electricity used to power its fleet of electric waste collection vehicles, that process creates heat.
In a heat network, heat generated by facilities such as these could be transferred to nearby buildings instead of being lost, saving money on power bills as well as being far more sustainable.
In the UK, heating buildings is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and Government has set a target that 17% of UK heat will be provided through local heat networks by 2030.
Milton Keynes Central Library, Woughton Leisure Centre, and Milton Keynes City Council’s Civic building would be part of the first phase of the heat network, and heat for local homes would follow, providing local people with a clean, reliable, and affordable alternative to gas bills.
Next month the city council will take a formal decision to approve the procurement process to enable the connection of several buildings to a heat network, with the support of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) grant funding.
“This is pioneering work that we are pleased to be able to fund through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme,” said Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member responsible for Climate and Sustainability.
“A heat network would provide our city with clean and green heat so our facilities can be cheaper to run, local people can have affordable alternative to gas to heat their homes, and it would also be a significant step towards our aspiration to be net zero by 2030.”
“This is an incredibly ambitious and exciting project spearheaded by the team at Milton Keynes City Council,” added Ian Rodger, Salix director of public sector decarbonisation.
“We have no time to stand still when we’re addressing climate change and this project not only addresses the energy efficiency and carbon of much-loved public buildings, but it uses heat network innovation to address the most pressing issue of our time.
“Our teams look forward to working with the council. We cannot wait to see how the local community will benefit from these measures. These buildings are set for a more energy efficient future as well as providing more comfortable places in which to work, visit and enjoy.”
