East Lothian’s recently approved Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) includes a proposal to investigate the option of making use of low-cost, industrial waste heat so feed a heat transmission highway across East Lothian. This would then feed a district heating network to supply heat to residents in Dunbar.
Consultants from Denmark (where such schemes are commonplace) have recently started a high level feasibility study to investigate the financial viability and the potential socio-economic and other benefits of this ambitious proposal (thanks to funding from CWP Ltd and Scottish Enterprise via East Lothian Community Benefits charity).
If this project goes ahead, householders in Dunbar could expect to start receiving affordable warmth via a Dunbar District Heating Network in the next few years. Longer term, this has the potential to create many skilled local jobs at the same time as enabling a rapid move away from reliance on individual gas boilers.
We will keep this page updated as proposals develop. In the meantime, you can read more about the potential of ‘heat highways’ here.