District energy will play a critical role in cutting carbon emissions from heat supply across commercial, industrial and residential sectors in the UK. The success of these projects depends upon securing commitment from a variety of stakeholders to switch from the status quo to something new. We share our key lessons learned through our experience supporting local authorities to develop more than 40 district energy projects, both within the UK and internationally.

Climate change is a like a runaway train. It has picked up a lot of momentum and even after you hit the brakes global carbon emissions will take a long time to slow down. The ambition to limit warming to no more than 1.5 degrees is now enshrined into international law through the Paris Agreement, which came into force earlier this month. So what do we need to do to get there?

Around a quarter of the UK’s current carbon emissions comes from our homes. One of the biggest challenges we face is how to retrofit existing housing stock so that it is much more energy efficient. Social landlords are uniquely well-placed to lead the way to prove the case for energy efficiency and lay the foundations for broader action.

After having discussed many of the positive attributes of science-based targets in previous parts of this series, it is worth reflecting briefly on their limitations.

Convincing boards to adopt stretching environmental targets often requires the presentation of a business case and phased investment plan. Traditionally companies set their ambitions for levels of carbon reductions based on the level of change that is financially attractive – the most compelling investment plan – rather than an understanding of what reductions are necessary. Science-based targets require businesses to rethink this approach.

Benjamin Curnier, Associate Director, South Africa, looks at the potential impact of business energy efficiency interventions on improving the wider economy in South Africa.