CR21041 - Heat Networks Zoning Social Research

**THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION** This award was made under Crown Commercial Services Research Marketplace Dynamic Purchasing System RM6018

This research project will enable BEIS to plug key policy development evidence gaps with the main aims of: • Assessing the attitudes, views and perspectives of stakeholders which may be impacted by the introduction of Heat Network Zones in England (and potentially Wales). • Providing the necessary evidence base to inform policy recommendations to Ministers. It will therefore inform the scoping, design and refinement of an ambitious and important policy in our transition to net-zero. We propose that the research is undertaken with impacted groups (see section 3) across six cities (Bristol, Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle & Nottingham) in which a methodology to designate zones is already being piloted as part of a wider project on heat decarbonisation The sub-aims of the research are to: • Engage with a representative sample of building types and asset owners across the six cities that fall within the identified heat network zones. • Identify key considerations underpinning attitudes towards heat decarbonisation (choice, cost, responsibilities, carbon). • Seek views on being part of a local solution vs. an individual building solution to heat decarbonisation. • Determine attitudes towards being mandated/ compelled/ encouraged to connect to a heat network and on what basis (i.e. what evidence would need to underpin this). • Identify key risks/opportunities identified by sample group.