Community Owned Heat
A Future-Proof Clean Energy Plan for East Lothian
A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity
East Lothian has the chance to lead Scotland in delivering the UK’s first large-scale regional heat transmission highway – capturing abundant waste heat from industry, data centres, and renewable energy, and distributing it through a community-owned network.
By linking electricity, heat, and thermal storage, the network enables a more efficient, flexible energy system – a principle known as sector coupling. This ensures that Scotland’s renewables are used to their fullest potential.
A new feasibility study, led by Danish heat network specialists Viegand Maagøe, confirms the project is both technically sound and economically competitive – offering heat cheaper than individual heat pumps, while unlocking local jobs, energy security, and climate action.
Financing the Vision
Denmark has pioneered the use of low‑interest green loans through municipal credit institutions such as Kommunekredit. This model allows councils to finance large infrastructure projects at minimal cost while keeping them in public hands.
A similar approach in the UK could unlock investment for regional heat highways, giving councils the tools to own and operate clean energy systems that serve their communities for generations.
East Lothian Heat Network Feasibility Report (2025)
This study, prepared by Viegand Maagøe for the East Lothian Heat Steering Group, sets out the technical, economic, and social case for Scotland’s first regional heat highway.
No heat wasted. no home cold.
- Homegrown Energy: Heating delivered from Scotland’s own waste heat and renewables.
- £900m in Savings: Compared to mass rollout of individual heat pumps, this is the more cost‑effective route.
- Eliminates Curtailed Renewables: Reduces strain on the National Grid by storing and redistributing renewable power as heat.
- Futureproof & Energy‑Source Agnostic: Designed to integrate new natural and industrial heat sources as they emerge.
- Green Jobs: Driving long‑term employment in construction, operations, and renewable technology.
- Industrial Regeneration: Anchoring a more robust industrial sector in East Lothian, built on renewable energy.
- Regional Export: Positioning East Lothian as a major heat exporter to Edinburgh and the wider region.
Recommended Phased Delivery
The feasibility study recommends building the network in four phases by 2031, each unlocking greater scale and benefit:
- Musselburgh Pilot: Connecting 2,000+ homes and public buildings with heat from Millerhill.
- Dunbar Cluster: Harnessing waste heat from Viridor’s waste incineration plant and Tarmac Cement Plant, with seasonal thermal storage.
- Cockenzie Hub: Integrating a major data centre and completing the east–west link.
- Regional Expansion: Extending into Edinburgh and Midlothian, creating Scotland’s first inter-city heat highway.
Community-Led, Locally Driven
This project did not begin in government offices but in East Lothian’s communities. In 2024, during consultations for the Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy, local citizens and experts came together to explore alternatives to costly individual heat pump based systems.
It is guided by principles of not-for-profit, public and community ownership, ensuring that benefits stay local.
The ethos is simple: public-interest ownership, self-financing and honesty. Just like a mortgage on a home, projects of this size should be owned by the council or the community they serve once the investment has been repaid. This ensures long-term affordability, stability, and democratic control.
Viegand Maagøe
The feasibility study for the proposed regional heat network was prepared by Viegand Maagøe.
Viegand Maagøe is a leading Danish consultancy helping cities, utilities, and the energy and industrial sector deliver large-scale, low-carbon heat solutions. Specialising in regional and city-wide heat networks, waste heat recovery, strategic transmission infrastructure and sector coupling, they bring the experience required for projects of this ambition.
Their expertise combines engineering, financing, and business case modelling, enabling councils, utilities, industries, and ESCOs to turn ambitious decarbonisation plans into reality.
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Your Questions. Straight Answers.
Will this make my bill cheaper?
Not immediately. By utilising what we already have available makes heat greener. By re-investing all profits, it makes the local energy system fairer and more transparent. On a whole it lowers system-wide costs while improving energy security.
Is it future proof?
Yes, it is energy-source agnostic and ready to integrate new low-carbon sources. Instead of relying on a single fuel source, such as gas for electric boilers or electricity for individual heat pumps, heat networks can use any heat source available now or in the future.
How is it funded?
Self-financing with public/municipal models; Denmark’s Kommunekredit is a blueprint for this type of model.
Has this been done before?
Yes, this is a cost-effective and proven approach. In Denmark, they’ve built city-wide heat utilities, that capture excess electricity, convert it into heat, store it, and distribute it through district heating networks. They’re also integrating waste heat from industry – data centres, large-scale heat pumps, and energy storage into a holistic, smart thermal grid.
Why isn’t this being done everywhere in the UK?
We need to move heat at scale, just like we move electricity or gas. That means investing in regional thermal infrastructure (large, insulated pipes in the ground) that connect low-cost generation with our towns and cities across the country. Right now, we are lacking the infrastructure to deliver that heat to our homes, hospitals, schools, and public buildings. We need government to back this kind of sector integration – joining up electricity, heating, and thermal storage – instead of treating them as separate problems.
About ScottishHeat.com
This website has been created with the support of EnergiRaven.
EnergiRaven’s role has been limited to:
- Formatting and presenting the feasibility study into a structured, accessible report.
- Developing this website to help communicate the steering committee’s vision.
- Producing short videos designed to improve clarity and highlight the importance of the energy transition towards a Net Zero future.
EnergiRaven is not a delivery partner in the project. Beyond the tasks above, we have no further involvement in its direction, development or delivery.
EnergiRaven’s primary objective is to raise awareness of what’s required for a successful green energy transition, with a particular focus on the need for a holistic and well-integrated energy system.