Residents from Lovell Park Heights, Lovell Park Grange, and Lovell Park Towers will soon receive heat from the Leeds PIPES network
Leeds City Council has announced that 259 council properties in the Lovell Park area will soon be connected to the Leeds PIPES network.
The Leeds PIPES district heating network provides warmth and hot water to buildings by using heat and energy recovered from non-recyclable waste at the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility. The network aims to support businesses and residents in transitioning away from more expensive fossil-fuel powered heating systems.
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, the council’s Executive Member for Climate, Energy, Environment and Green Space said: “Their bills will go down; they will save on their energy bills. It’s expected that people will save not just those in Lovell Park, but everybody connected to the Leeds District Network.”
Local residents have said that they have been experiencing mounting energy bills amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Many of those from low-income backgrounds have turned towards using warm banks to keep comfortable when unable to meet their energy bills.
Warm banks are spaces where residents can go to stay warm. These sites are useful in the colder months when residents struggle to pay.
Talvinder Singh Cheema, Volunteer Chef at Woodhouse Community Centre, said: “I find that there are people just coming here to sit down and stay warm and charge their phones as well as get something to eat. So, the days that I’m here I notice that.”
Lauren Malone said: “As a teacher, I can see the families of children in the school who are really struggling with keeping up with the cost of the ever-rising energy crisis. It is heart-breaking to witness.”
According to the ONS, almost four out of ten adults (39%) who pay their energy bills said it was very or somewhat difficult to afford them. This compares to 45% during the same period last year (8 to 22 November 2022).