Bristol’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 has been boosted by a £6.9m grant from the government to extend the city council’s innovative heat network.
The network already supplies more than 1,000 properties with low carbon heat from different sources across the city. It replaces the buildings’ own heating systems, often using heat recovered from industry or renewable sources. 
As well as producing fewer carbon emissions, the network – which covers an area that includes Redcliff, Temple and parts of Old Market – is more efficient and cost-effective to run, protecting against rises in gas prices.
The new funding will be used to extend the network to nine sites, including St Mary Redcliffe secondary and Hannah Moore primary schools, Temple Back fire station, a hospital building and offices.
It will also be used to improve existing connections on the Redcliffe and Old Market sections of the network, allowing the council to disconnect the hot water system at its Temple Street offices from the existing gas boiler and replace it with a more efficient system.
Existing gas boilers will also be replaced with low or zero carbon heat sources, allowing rapid growth in the number of buildings connected to the network and helping the authority to cut emissions as it heads towards carbon neutrality.
Cabinet member for energy and transport Cllr Kye Dudd said: “The Bristol Heat Network is an integral piece of our solution to decarbonising the city and the part that Bristol plays in addressing the climate crisis.
“The council has invested over £60m in low-carbon and renewable infrastructure in recent years and we’re delighted to have attracted this new funding from BEIS to continue our work to cut carbon emissions.
“It’s exciting to be replacing old technology with greener solutions and great to be supporting public sector partners with their own efforts to decarbonise. Developing the heat networks has so many benefits for the city including the reduction in fuel poverty, cutting carbon emissions and creating thousands of jobs to support the local economy.”
