Calderdale’s digital twin

Local area energy plans (LAEPs) are a key tool for local authorities to plan for net zero and tackle fuel poverty. They provide the data and framework for selecting the energy projects that will make the biggest difference.

Calderdale Council is the first local authority in England to take local area energy planning to the next level with a groundbreaking virtual model, or ‘digital twin’. This innovative approach equips decision-makers in the borough with an interactive map that brings the data to life, facilitating informed decision-making.

The digital twin can help clarify the scale and scope of the retrofit challenge, by identifying the exact numbers of homes that require measures such as insulation and solar panels. Options for financing and incentivising these types of projects are then explored.

Using the digital twin to assist planning and visualisation, Calderdale’s LAEP is a fully costed plan for the borough which has important applications beyond the retrofit projects themselves – such as giving training providers the confidence to invest in developing relevant skills, and producing robust data for forecasting the borough’s future to enable the most effective grid upgrades.