Waste heat captured from London Underground tunnels and an electrical substation will be used to heat homes and reduce energy bills through a pioneering new scheme.
The initiative is the first of its kind in Europe and is a partnership between Islington Council, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, UK Power Networks and Transport for London.

It will be run through Islington Council's innovative Bunhill Heat and Power heat network, which already supplies more than 700 homes in Islington with greener heating and will lower heating costs for local people.

Through the new project the network will be expanded to capture and use two local sources of waste heat, one from a London Underground ventilation shaft and the other from a sub-station owned and operated by UK Power Networks. The expansion will also see at least another 500 homes connected to Islington's heat network.

London Underground generates large amounts of heat, which will be captured from a nearby Northern Line vent and piped into the heat network to warm local homes.

Councillor Rakhia Ismail, Islington Council's executive member for sustainability, said: 'Recycling heat from London Underground and the electrical network are exciting new ideas and a boost to our work to tackle fuel poverty and make Islington a fairer place. This cheaper energy scheme is greener too - local communities will see CO2 emissions drop by around over 500 tonnes each year.'

The Mayor of London is keen to encourage more locally produced heat and power from smaller generators like Bunhill and to pioneer further projects that use existing sources of waste heat in the capital, rather than allowing it to be wasted by just releasing it into the atmosphere. The Mayor has produced a detailed assessment of these opportunities across London in a new study into London's untapped heat resources The Secondary Heat report.

The Mayor's senior advisor on environment and energy, Matthew Pencharz, said: 'We need to do everything possible to create a more secure, cost-effective and sustainable heat and power supply for London. By supporting locally sourced energy and heat networks which can reduce bills and lower carbon emissions, we can not only save money but also drive innovation, jobs and growth in this burgeoning sector.'