Although they seem overwhelmingly complex, heating transitions are far from novel and have occurred more frequently within living memory than at any other point in human history. While the primary goal of the current transition towards electrification is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, it is not the first time heating practices have been altered for environmental and public health reasons. For example, shifts away from coal toward cleaner burning fuels, such as natural gas, were largely driven by the need to improve air quality. History provides a rich body of experience that can inform today’s move toward sustainable domestic heating systems, explored through SYSC’s Was the Past More Sustainable? project. This built upon the JustHeat project, which examined the challenges faced by communities with strong historical ties to fuels now being phased out. These fuels often shaped the very development of communities, with dominant industries like mining providing employment, housing, fuel and leisure, and creating lasting loyalties long after their decline.
One of the mechanisms that could help to address challenges to low-carbon heating transitions and earn social acceptance is community energy schemes. The SYSC project on community energy explored what they might look like in South Yorkshire. Community energy is broadly defined as a project that includes some degree of community involvement in a sustainable energy activities, i.e. an activity that results in reducing emissions from energy use, either by green energy supply (replacing fossil fuelled energy with renewable energy) or reducing energy demand (e.g. installing energy efficiency measures).
Key Insights:
JustHeat and How Sustainable was the Past highlighted key themes that can help us understand how we might build consent for contemporary heating transitions. This has been explored in the “Towards a Faster, Fairer and more Popular Transition to Clean Heat in South Yorkshire” case study as part of the SYSC Consolidated Research report
Comfort and homeliness have been found to be central to how people use heat. Secondly, households layered heat sources (e.g. gas, electric, heaters, log burners) to maintain flexibility and security during periods of financial or supply uncertainty. The SYSC’s Household Energy Survey also found that 29% of the respondents said they used an alternative source of heating with 80% reporting that they did so to save on the cost of their primary source of heating. Finally, place-based identities count, particularly in former coalfield communities where coal symbolised pride, work, security and belonging.
Findings from the JustHeat project and the Household Energy Survey reveal a significant trust deficit in UK energy interventions compared to Sweden, with local and national governance consistently receiving low confidence scores as information sources. Instead of relying on official institutions, participants were more likely to be influenced by personal networks, such as family and friends, when making decisions like joining a heat network. This skepticism toward established authorities is compounded by broader anxieties regarding the energy transition, as the vast majority of respondents expressed concern over insufficient investment in alternative energy, the rising risk of power outages, and an increasing reliance on foreign energy supplies.
SYSC research found that community energy schemes provide economic benefits for individuals as well as the region, as explored in SYSC’s Consolidated Research Report’s “Enabling Community Energy in South Yorkshire” case study. Since 2004, the UK has been a net importer of natural gas. Community energy could provide a mechanism for keeping wealth in the region, as demonstrated by the fact that 40% of Energise Barnsley investors are located in Yorkshire. Community energy schemes can also reduce residents’ bills alongside the payment of community dividends.
Community groups can also provide mutual support and advice on how a healthy and sustainable 'bricolage' approach can improve thermal comfort, experience and resilience. There are some great examples of community led initiatives, which don’t often reach the biggest energy users (more affluent households) but are engaging sensitively with more vulnerable households that would benefit most from the support. For example, the Upper Don Community Energy Groups' Community Warming Project.
Community energy could also act as a positive interface for political representatives and the civil service to build trust with South Yorkshire residents. Initiatives such as the Sheffield Energy Hub show how community energy can broaden engagement by linking private, public, and third-sector organisations.
View the case studies in full below
Read the case studies in full below:
