This report provides a high level summary of a more detailed SHIFFT report which can be accessed via the SHIFFT project website: A Common Approach for Sustainable Heating Strategies.
The transition to sustainable heating for homes and community buildings is an immense, complex operation. It calls for thorough long-term planning and preparation by local authorities, distribution system operators, builders, homeowners, and communities. It requires robust, practical, tested tools and approaches for cities to mobilise, inform and facilitate local communities to make this change.
The common approach is designed to help cities develop a low carbon heating strategy. Its purpose is to help avoid replication of work and overcome some of the complexities in enabling a transition to low carbon heating in homes and community buildings. At a high level, we suggest that a sustainable heating strategy sets out a vision for how to decarbonise heating for a city, with clear goals and a plan for how to achieve these goals, including a roadmap. The common approach SHIFFT has developed is based on literature reviews, practical experience, and two partner workshops.
The common approach framework is based on a step-by-step process that considers barriers and opportunities across technologies, people and policy/regulation. The framework will assist in the process of identifying heat supply & demand, whilst identifying opportunities, actors, technologies, resources and barriers for decarbonising heat in a local area. The SHIFFT framework recognises the need for thorough long-term planning and preparation by local authorities, builders, households, communities and wider stakeholders and highlights best practice, tested tools and approaches so that cities can mobilise, inform and facilitate local communities in the transition to low carbon heat.
