Minister sets out heat network investment and zoning priorities

Published 25th October 2026

Heat networks should meet 7% of England's heat demand within ten years, according to a ministerial speech delivered in Sheffield on 22nd October and published the following day.

Martin McCluskey reviewed more than £200 million allocated to twenty projects across four Green Heat Network Fund announcements over the preceding year. This is a cumulative figure, rather than a new funding round.

The minister also described almost £35 million allocated through the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme across 65 projects.

For public estate teams, the update links project finance, consumer protection and local zoning. The targets describe future ambitions, not verified delivery.

Image: representative editorial artwork, not a photograph of a named funded project.

Source: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, speech published 23rd October 2026.