Sewer power to heat homes and businesses and help keep bills low after UK Government backing

  • Homes and businesses to benefit from greener, low-cost heating as 4 new Green Heat Network projects receive a share of £80.6 million.

Nearly 2,000 homes and businesses could be heated with sewer power, as a new green heating project receives a share of £80.6 million from the government

The new project, backed by £11 million from the government, will see Bolton residents keep their homes and businesses warm with waste heat from the town’s sewer. Energy will be extracted from both sewage and waste hot water from washing machines, bathrooms and kitchens to fuel a new heat pump, as part of Bolton’s first district heating network, helping to keep bills low.  

The move will provide a recycled heating source for the local community – including the University of Bolton and the Town Council – helping keep energy bills down. It is one of 4 innovative green heating projects to receive grants today from the government’s Green Heat Network Fund.  

The projects in Exeter, London and Hull will help cut carbon emissions from homes and businesses – and put the UK a step closer to reaching net zero by 2050. 

Today’s funding comes alongside more than £8 million of government investment to improve 34 inefficient heat networks. The money will enable upgrades, creating a more reliable heating supply for more than 9,000 residents, hospital patients, students and public sector workers, as well as keeping bills down.

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, said: "These innovative projects will help drive down energy costs while also demonstrating why the UK has led the way in cutting carbon emissions."

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