Leeds City Council has announced that a new low-carbon heat network will benefit hundreds more households across the city.
As part of the Leeds PIPES district heating network, 259 council properties will be supported with heating at a reduced cost in comparison with their existing systems. New connections to the network will also help to progress the city’s net zero journey, with a 279-tonne carbon reduction per year being achieved as more households and businesses join.
The network works by heating homes by using heat and energy from the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility’s non-recyclable waste. Whilst it does help the city progress along its journey to net zero, it will also help residents transition away from expensive heating systems, with estimates saying that almost half a million pounds of savings have been made across energy costs this year.
Councillors Mohammed Rafique and Jessica Lennox, Executive Members for Energy and Housing respectively, said:
“We are both delighted that hundreds more residents will soon be paying significantly less to heat their homes thanks to this latest expansion of the Leeds PIPES network.
“Residents in the Lovell Park estate will join the thousands of council tenants and hundreds of private sector renters already benefitting.
“Too many families in our city struggle to pay their energy bills – in part because the UK’s homes are some of the least efficient and most reliant on costly fossil fuel gas in Europe.
“Whether it’s by connecting homes to affordable low carbon heating like Leeds PIPES, or investing in energy-saving measures like insulation, this council is committed to helping households by making our homes greener and fit for the future.”
New buildings are regularly being connected to the system, with some existing customers including some student accommodation buildings, Leeds Conservatoire (formerly the College of Music) and St James’s Hospital already connected.
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