Pioneering approach to green energy planning launched in Winchester
Winchester City Council is using a pioneering new digital tool called LENZA to create a digital local area energy plan (LAEP) for the district – it’ll be the first of its kind in the country to be developed this way.
A local area energy plan is recognised as the best way of making sure local energy use is as green and efficient as possible. It will help the district become greener faster by identifying the most cost-effective route to make the district’s energy use greener and helping communities to bring forward their own local energy schemes.
Using the LENZA tool, the city council is able to identify where energy-saving measures can be introduced. One example is that the tool can assess the potential heat loss from buildings, which allows the city council to suggest measures such as improved insulation or low-carbon heating to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The LENZA tool – which was co-developed by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution (the Distribution Network Operator which serves central southern England) and spatial analytics and software company Advanced Infrastructure (AI) Technology Limited - can also help identify the best locations for renewable technologies such as solar panels and electric vehicle charging points, and where the most suitable locations for renewable energy generation sites are in the district. Winchester’s LAEP will be developed in collaboration with SSEN and AI, following a successful pilot project in 2024.
LENZA gives the council free access to important data and tools to support its development of an LAEP, resulting in cost savings of up to £50,000 or 54% compared to traditional consultancy methods.
Councillor Kelsie Learney, Cabinet Member for climate emergency at Winchester City Council, said:
“Having experienced the capabilities of LENZA as a data tool during the pilot project, I’m really excited to see how it can help us develop our local area energy plan. It’ll provide a detailed picture of future energy needs in Winchester district and allow the team to support the development of green energy schemes to power and heat our homes, vehicles and workplaces and also supply renewable energy back into the grid.”
Andrew Wainwright, Whole Systems Manager at SSEN Distribution, said:
“It’s been a privilege for me and my team to follow Winchester City Council’s LENZA journey since they became one of the first local authorities we introduced to the platform.
“They’ve embraced LENZA with enthusiasm, and the benefit of this approach will be borne out in the forthcoming Local Area Energy Plan. And crucially, it’s the communities in Winchester who’ll see the benefits of this hard work and ambition.
“In the years to come, they’ll feel the economic and societal benefits of decarbonisation, because of the forward-thinking work the team at Winchester City Council is doing, with our support.”
Christopher Jackson, CEO at Advanced Infrastructure, said:
“We’re proud to support Winchester City Council in developing the UK’s first digital Local Area Energy Plan within LENZA. Built on Advanced Infrastructure’s LAEP+ platform, LENZA has already demonstrated its value to many local authorities within SSEN’s licence area. This marks a significant step forward in local energy planning, enabling councils to access the granular data and powerful digital tools required to plan their net zero strategies efficiently.”
It is expected that the LAEP will be completed by early 2026.
Anyone interested in knowing more about the development of an LAEP for the Winchester district is invited to attend the online Carbon Neutrality Open Forum event on the evening of Wednesday, 21 May from (6:30pm - 8pm).