User and organisational responses to biomass district heating

Biomass fuelled district heating is currently the UK government's favoured approach to meeting the country's domestic heat demand while achieving carbon dioxide emission savings due to its cost effectiveness, viability and potential to reduce heating and hot water costs for residents. However, there are currently few examples of it within the UK and it therefore remains unfamiliar to both consumers and housing providers, raising many possible social and organisational challenges that are not yet fully understood. This paper elucidates these challenges by drawing on two case studies of recent social housing developments using biomass fuelled district heating. Socio-technical theory and transition theory are used to understand what happens when the technical innovation of biomass fuelled district heating meets the rigid social systems within which social housing providers and tenants operate. The paper concludes that the ability of both the organisation and the end user to adapt to and accommodate the innovation will determine the extent to which the intended benefits of biomass fuelled district heating are realised.