Manchester wants residents’ help to go zero carbon

• An online consultation for residents to vote on how they may heat their homes in the near future is being launched in Manchester
• The results will inform plans for Manchester to become zero carbon by 2038
• Manchester residents have until 5^th November to vote

Manchester, 15^th October 2021 –  zerocarbon.vote – an online consultation tool for residents to vote on what low carbon heating they might want in their homes – is being launched in Manchester. 

Greater Manchester is going zero carbon by 2038. As part of its contribution to becoming zero carbon, major changes will need to be made to the way people in Manchester heat their homes.

Between 15^th October – 12^th November, Manchester people are being urged to get involved in zerocarbon.vote, an online consultation tool where residents can indicate how they’d prefer to heat their home. 

zerocarbon.vote is a national survey run by the Energy Systems Catapult, an independent organisation who have been established to accelerate the transformation of the UK’s energy system and capture the opportunities of clean growth. The results will help inform Manchester City Council’s ongoing work to support the transition to zero carbon and help make the case for the Government and private funding needed to help deliver it.

The consultation forms part of the Greater Manchester Local Energy Market project which sets out ambitious plans to revolutionise the use and distribution of energy across the Greater Manchester region, supporting a low carbon future with the goal of becoming zero carbon by 2038.  It’s the first local energy market project of this scale.

Richard Halsey, Capabilities Director at the Energy Systems Catapult added:

“Forward-thinking places like Manchester recognise there’s a need to plan for their future local energy system to get to net zero.   To do this well it’s important to engage with the local community, to inform local area energy plan making and to help people know what to prepare for.  People need to be aware and informed to prepare their homes in the right way at the right time to deliver on our net zero commitments. zerocarbon.vote is a quick and easy way to help people engage in the steps needed decarbonise their homes and local area.”

The survey is being backed by Manchester City Council.

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment at Manchester City Council, said:

“It’s widely recognised that we must transition away from using fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change through carbon emissions, to cleaner alternatives for heating our homes.”

“Reaching the city’s goal of becoming zero carbon by 2038 is going to require tremendous changes over the years ahead.”

“To be successful we all need to work together. Understanding what sort of changes Manchester people want to see to how they heat their homes will help inform our plans and, crucially, give us an evidence base as we seek the funding to deliver them. So, we’d encourage people to take part in this vote.”

Manchester residents can visit www.zerocarbon.vote to have their say. The consultation will be open until the 12th November.