Sustainable energy

4A.6 Decentralised energy: Heating, cooling and power

The Mayor will and boroughs should in their DPDs require all developments to demonstrate that their heating, cooling and power systems have been selected to minimise carbon dioxide emissions. The need for active cooling systems should be reduced as far as possible through passive design including ventilation, appropriate use of thermal mass, external summer shading and vegetation on and adjacent to developments. The heating and cooling infrastructure should be designed to allow the use of decentralised energy (including renewable generation) and for it to be maximised in the future.

Developments should evaluate combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP) and combined heat and power (CHP) systems and where a new CCHP/CHP system is installed as part of a new development, examine opportunities to extend the scheme beyond the site boundary to adjacent areas.

The Mayor will expect all major developments to demonstrate that the proposed heating and cooling systems have been selected in accordance with the following order of preference: 

• connection to existing CCHP/CHP distribution networks
• site-wide CCHP/CHP powered by renewable energy
• gas-fired CCHP/CHP or hydrogen fuel cells, both accompanied by renewables
• communal heating and cooling fuelled by renewable sources of energy
• gas fired communal heating and cooling.