A good example of this is vertical farming in urban areas. The current energy system makes it very difficult for heat-hungry companies to survive – regardless of the merit of their output. By providing affordable energy to residential households, busi- nesses, and public buildings, we can develop decentralised, more egalitarian heat and power networks that serve society and commerce rather than the other way around. By developing heat networks like our Danish colleagues have done, from an ownership perspective, we can end fuel pover- ty and homes with dampness and mould. We can reduce the burden on the National Health Service, making our citizens healthier and more productive and creating local high-skilled jobs for many of our young people. In a recent article in Inside Housing, the Scottish Minister for Net Zero Buildings, Patrick Harvie, responded to whether the Government in Scotland is doing enough and willing to sup- port housing providers financially to achieve Net Zero finan- cially. His answer below might surprise some but should be seen as an opportunity.
"Some of these organisations can be anchor organisations for things like heat networks. I think over the course of this decade, for example, we're going to be seeing a lot more in the way of heat networks going in, where a social landlord is not just a customer but is contributing to running that business and see- ing a larger part of our energy system, at a local level, operating in the public interest." Later this year, each Local Authority in Scotland is required to publish a Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy. The strategy should identify where district heating could be prioritised, with the Heat Networks bill providing legislation on how they are licensed.
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