To ask the Minister for Social Development for his assessment of the advantages and the economic viability of community heating schemes and the bulk purchase of fuel.

The Housing Executive has examined the potential for installing community heating in some areas, but concluded that it is not economically viable within existing housing estates due to the high number of house sales. To be economically successful it would require most, if not all, dwellings within an estate to take part in a scheme. Many home owners have installed their own individual boilers and, having made that investment, would not take part in a community scheme. Extending into adjacent areas to obtain the critical mass required to make a scheme successful would be prohibitively expensive in terms of the underground pipe network.

Community heating is best suited to new build situations and a recent example is the Woodbrook private housing development outside Lisburn.

The Housing Executive is developing an Energy Brokerage Scheme and plan to market test a scheme by the end of March 2012.