Decentralised energy is a process that generates heat and electricity locally, and distributes it to homes, businesses and community facilities through a local heat network (district heating).
This means that individual heating systems (such as boilers) are not required in these properties.
Generating heat and electricity in this manner is more efficient than producing electricity in large power stations long distances away from a local area.
This is because it is possible to capture the heat created in generating electricity and to use it locally to heat buildings by distributing it through a local heat network.
This is in contrast to large remote power stations, where the heat created in generating electricity is wasted by being released into the atmosphere.
The potential to deliver a District Energy (DE) network is at the heart of Harrow Council’s regeneration strategy for Harrow and Wealdstone, which involves a £1.75bn investment programme to deliver 5,500 new homes, two new schools, leisure centres and around 3,000 new jobs by 2026.
These new developments, as well as many existing buildings, could potentially be connected to a district heating network.