Wind+Heat

Last year, the number of households in fuel poverty in England stood at 3.17 million (13%) and the fuel poverty gap was an average of £417 per household. One of the main recommendations from the Committee on Fuel Poverty’s (CFP) Annual Report 2023 was to deliver “a fair transition to net zero that does not increase fuel poverty”, by seeking to “deploy low-carbon technologies at least cost, best payback” as part of an Energy Affordability Strategy. In this context, onshore wind emerges as a pivotal player, offering a sustainable and cost-effective solution in achieving the CFP’s recommendation while working towards a decarbonised future.

Regen worked with Community Energy England in supporting UK climate charity Possible to explore how low-carbon electric heat technology, such as heat pumps installed in the community or heat networks, powered by locally owned wind could provide affordable, secure energy and a replicable pathway to end reliance on gas while cutting costs and supporting communities.

This project involved:

• Analysing the high-level costs, savings and payback period of different model wind+heat schemes
• Highlighting areas where energy poverty could be tackled by a community wind+heat scheme, including off-gas grid communities
• Exploring the benefits and challenges for communities looking to develop a community wind scheme
• Identifying potential partners for a wind+heat innovation trial
• Assessing the barriers and producing policy recommendations to enable future wind+heat schemes.

The resulting report, Wind-powered Heat: Powering clean heat with clean energy to cut costs and emissions, can be downloaded here.