How we're supporting energy efficiency in Bristol buildings and providing low carbon heat.
Almost two thirds of Bristol's direct carbon emissions come from heating and powering its buildings.
Over half of homes in Bristol need energy efficiency improvements, such as insulation, to reduce the amount of energy they use to a reasonable level.
One City Climate Strategy target for Bristol buildings
The One City Climate Strategy set out that:
- new buildings need to be carbon neutral and climate resilient
- the energy performance of existing buildings in the city must be improved to minimise the need for heating
- all buildings in the city need to be resilient to climate change, for instance to prevent overheating through making changes to buildings, such as adding shading and ventilation
Heat decarbonisation target
The One City Climate Strategy states that, to decarbonise heating, around 160,000 boilers need to be replaced across the city.
Decarbonising heating means heating our buildings without the use of gas or electricity made using fossil fuel, for example by:
- heat pumps powered by renewable energy
- connecting to our district heat network
Bristol needs around 65,000 buildings to connect to district heat networks Go to https://www.bristolcityleap.co.uk/heat-networks/ (opens new window) in the future. This would leave around 95,000 buildings needing individual heat pumps.
Our buildings
We have direct control over the buildings we own and use to deliver our services, such as our office buildings and work depots.
We're also responsible for maintaining and making energy efficiency improvements to:
- the 28,659 council homes we manage
- some schools
- some commercial buildings
We don't control how the heating and hot water are used in these buildings.
We have very limited powers or funding to support homeowners and commercial building owners across the city. Our Energy efficiency at home, solar panels and heat pump pages offer advice and information.
We have invested in projects to reduce our energy use and our bills, such as:
- updating the lighting in our offices at Temple Street
- updating the lighting to super-efficient LEDs in 14 libraries
- installing new low carbon heating systems
We have also replaced the old gas heating system at one of our primary schools with an air source heat pump.
How we've supported energy efficiency in buildings so far
Our recent Council Housing and Landlord Services has written a strategy setting a target to improve the energy performance of our homes so that every Council property achieves an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or better by 2030.
We have achieved an EPC rating of C or above in around 68% of the homes we own.
We have been expanding the heat network, of underground pipes to deliver affordable, low-carbon heat and energy across the city.
There are currently 35 buildings connected to the Bristol heat network, supplying enough heat for the equivalent of almost 13,500 homes. Further growth is already underway, with up to four new connections planned within the next year. A 3 megawatt water source heat pump is operating at Castle Park, providing heat to the heat network. This is the largest water source heat pump in the UK.
We've also:
- installed energy efficiency measures and solar panels which people did not need to pay for (grant funded) in over 100 low-income homes, through our Bright Green Homes Scheme
- developed and started to coordinate delivery of the pdf Bristol's Warm Homes Plan(2.91 MB)
- worked with and promoted Retrofit West, a homeowner advice service helping people reduce energy bills, improve comfort and connect them with trusted local tradespeople. It also provides training and support to tradespeople. Over 500 Bristol households have received part-funded home assessments and advice on improving energy efficiency in their home
How we'll support energy efficiency in buildings in the future
We've created the City Leap Energy Partnership to drive city-scale decarbonisation, bringing together Bristol City Council, Ameresco, Vattenfall Heat UK, and local partners.
The next five years will see continued investment of around £374 million in energy-saving measures, heat networks, solar panels, and electric vehicle infrastructure and potentially wind turbines.
The partnership remains flexible and responsive to changing policies, ensuring Bristol continues to lead the way in practical, high-impact climate action.
The City Leap partnership will deliver energy efficiency measures to the buildings we use, including:
- spending around £1.4 million to replace ageing fossil fuel based heating systems in 10 council-owned buildings with low carbon electric alternatives, such as heat pumps and infrared electric radiant panels. These heating upgrades will be complemented by measures designed to enhance energy efficiency and will save an estimated 271 tonnes of carbon each year.
- a project to decarbonise Belbrook Children's Respite Unit, Ridingleaze House, and Symes House buildings by installing Air Source Heat Pumps, loft insulation, LED lighting, Solar PV panels and upgrading their Building Management Systems using funds loaned to the city council as part of the Bristol Climate Action Investment.
It will also deliver energy efficiency and renewable energy measures to our social housing. This will cut the energy bills of our tenants and reduce emissions and install fully funded insulation, solar panels and heat pumps to at least another 250 private households on low incomes by March 2028 through the Bright Green Homes scheme.
To support future heat network expansion, we have been working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to prepare for the government's heat network zoning policy implementation as part of their Advanced Zoning Programme.
Bristol will be one of the first places in the UK where heat network zones are implemented. Zoning allows the city to build on the success of the existing heat network and grow this to cover the city centre zone area, connecting more buildings to the network.
Watch a video about district heat networks.
We're developing our Local Plan and related planning policies to require:
- Zero Carbon Housing
- homes that are adapted to cope with future climate change
We'll review all the buildings we own and use to make sure we have the right amount and quality of workspaces, including:
- local authority maintained schools
- care homes
- community centres
- museums
- the registry office
- depots
- libraries
- changing rooms in parks
City Leap will provide energy efficiency measures, renewables and decarbonisation projects to the buildings we own.
We will continue to deliver grant funded energy efficiency measures and install solar panels for households on a low-income through our Bright Green Homes scheme.
We'll also:
- install ground and air source heat pumps to provide low carbon heating to over 400 new homes we'll build
- make the homes we own more energy efficient to reach new minimum Energy Performance Certificate standards via an ongoing delivery programme, including a large area-based programme in Henbury and Brentry
- install fully funded insulation, solar panels and heat pumps to at least another 250 private households on low incomes by March 2028 through the Bright Green Homes scheme, delivered by Bristol City Leap
- replace our old gas cremators at Canford Crematorium with new electric ones which will use much less energy
- continue with our programme of work to construct low and zero carbon homes via our house building company, Goram Homes
- continue to enforce Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for private rented accommodation (Energy Performance Certificate E)
- offer low interest energy efficiency loans to homeowners and private landlords
We've developed a new system to make sure everything we build can be:
- low carbon
- climate resilient
- makes space for nature
We're piloting this on several projects and hope to use it more widely.