Up here in the Northern countries, we might be better positioned to fund our transition to clean energy. But energy demand can feel personal: long winters, high heating bills, and the need for homes and towns that work even when daylight is short. Fortunately, new and maturing research shows there are practical, affordable and scalable paths to cut emissions, reduce costs and improve comfort — without waiting for miracles.
Let’s visit five robust directions the research recommends — and why they matter for cold-climate communities.
1) Cold countries can make heat pumps work for them
Air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) move heat rather than generate it, using a small amount of electricity to transfer warmth from outside air into your home. They are much more efficient than electric resistance heating and typically far less carbon-intensive than fossil fuel boilers when the grid is low-carbon.
Field and modelling studies in cold climates find that, while efficiency dips in extreme low temperatures, ASHPs remain the lowest-carbon and often the cheapest option over a year — provided the system is well-sized and installed. In Canada, careful system selection and integration with heat-store or low-temperature distribution keeps performance strong across the year.
Practical tip: choose an installer who measures your house and matches the heat pump (and buffer tank) to your real demand; that reduces the need for fossil back-up and avoids performance problems.
2) Re-think district heat: run colder, use waste and nature’s heat
District heating — where heat is generated centrally and piped to many buildings — has become a powerful tool in northern Europe. A key innovation is low-temperature district heating (LTDH). Running the network at lower supply/return temperatures reduces losses from pipes and makes it possible to use abundant, low-grade resources: heat pumps, industrial waste heat, and geothermal or surface water sources.
A major review shows that lowering operating temperatures in building systems (for example, using larger radiators, underfloor heating or smarter controls) unlocks huge potential for integrating renewables and waste heat into district networks — a rare win-win for emissions and reliability.
Practical tip: where district heating exists or is planned, local authorities should prioritise building upgrades that allow lower flow temperatures. That way, the same network can run on renewables rather than fossil backup.
10 recommendations for Government
1. Make heat pumps the default heating technology
Set a clear phase-out schedule for new fossil boilers.
Provide long-term grants or rebates paired with strict installer accreditation.
Require heat pump readiness in new builds (low-temperature heating systems, proper insulation).
2. Accelerate deep retrofit programmes — with social protections
Offer targeted grants for low-income households and social housing.
Introduce tenant-protection rules preventing “renoviction”.
Support local retrofit hubs for training, quality assurance and public advice.
3. Expand low-temperature district heating (LTDH)
Mandate low-temperature heating in all publicly funded new housing.
Support pilot LTDH zones that integrate heat pumps, waste heat and geothermal sources.
Create national heat-mapping datasets that identify industrial waste heat and renewable heat sources.
4. Invest in seasonal thermal energy storage (STES)
Fund STES feasibility studies for municipalities.
Create capital support schemes for large pit, aquifer or borehole storage integrated into LTDH.
Ensure building and planning regulations allow large-scale underground thermal stores.
5. Develop a national workforce and standards plan
Train heat pump installers, energy modellers, retrofit coordinators and district-energy engineers.
Adopt unified standards for heat-pump sizing, commissioning and monitoring.
Require proper post-installation testing (to reduce system underperformance).
6. Require public buildings to lead by example
Government buildings should undergo deep retrofit with proper measurement and verification.
Schools, hospitals and community buildings should be connected to LTDH or heat-pump systems wherever possible.
7. Use regulation to drive smart, future-proof building design
Set minimum energy-performance requirements for renovations, not just new builds.
Mandate low-temperature heating systems in new properties.
Ensure all new developments are heat-pump compatible.
8. Support community-led energy and heating systems
Provide seed funding for First Nations, Inuit, and northern community energy cooperatives.
Fast-track permitting for local STES + heat-pump schemes.
Allow communities to own or manage local heat networks.
9. Integrate heating policy with electricity decarbonisation
Plan electricity generation, storage and grid reinforcement alongside heating electrification.
Encourage renewable electricity growth that aligns with winter demand, such as wind and hydro.
10. Make public communication honest, simple and practical
Provide clear heat-pump guidance and install-ready checklists.
Offer transparent cost comparisons between heat pumps, gas, oil and resistance heating.
Use trusted intermediaries (councils, local energy groups) to deliver public advice.
- Map local heat resources and demand. Identify industrial waste heat, rivers, sewage heat, and rooftop solar potential. Those maps reveal whether LTDH or STES projects make sense.
- Prioritise deep retrofit pilots with strong social safeguards. Focus on social housing and vulnerable households first — greatest benefit, quickest payback and vital equity gains.
- Invest in workforce skills and quality control. The benefits of heat pumps and retrofits hinge on good installation and commissioning; training programmes matter.
- Design district and community systems that use storage. Pair LTDH with STES and heat pumps to maximise renewable share and cut reliance on gas or diesel in winter.
3) Store summer warmth for winter: seasonal thermal energy storage (STES)
Solar in the summer is plentiful; heat demand peaks in winter. Seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) captures heat in summer (from solar collectors, industry or ambient sources) and releases it months later. Technologies include large pit tanks, borehole fields and aquifer storage. STES pairs naturally with LTDH and heat pumps: you charge in summer, then draw during the dark months.
A comprehensive techno-economic review finds STES to be technically mature and highly cost-effective at district scale in many geologies — precisely the kind of technology that helps northern communities bridge seasonal supply and demand.
Practical tip: municipal planners should map local geology and solar/industrial potential — a well-sited STES project can dramatically cut winter gas use for heat.
4) Renovate (deeply) — but do it fairly
Buildings are the single largest electricity or heat consumers in many cold regions. Deep energy retrofits (insulation, airtightness, upgraded ventilation and heat-pump friendly distribution) can cut a home’s heat use by 50% or more. These retrofits improve comfort, reduce bills and lower emissions — but only if done carefully.
Research synthesising retrofit projects shows that retrofits are effective against energy poverty, but implementation must protect tenants and avoid “renoviction” (displacing residents through rising rents). Successful programmes combine finance, tenant engagement, technical support and policy safeguards.
Practical tip: retrofit schemes should include grants or low-cost loans, tenant protections, and local trusted intermediaries who can guide households through the process.
5) Use systems, not single technologies — the power of integration
The five elements above matter more when combined. For example:
- Low-temperature district heating lets heat pumps and STES do the heavy lifting.
- STES buffers seasonal variability so renewables supply more of the winter demand.
- Well-designed retrofits reduce peak load, making heat-pump systems and LTDH cheaper to operate.
- Robust installation, monitoring and control minimise energy waste and max out savings.
Recent reviews and field work make that integration a practical road map for cold regions: it’s not “one best technology” but a set of matched choices — network design, storage, building upgrades and modern heat pumps — that turns cold climates from a barrier into an advantage.
Technicalities
- What is LTDH? Low-temperature district heating runs supply water at lower temperatures (e.g. 50°C or less) so you can use heat pumps and waste heat efficiently; it needs building systems adapted to lower temperatures. (See the Energy review.)
- What is STES? Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage — large tanks, pits or underground stores that hold heat for months. It shifts summer solar into winter heat.
- Will a heat pump warm a house at –20°C? Modern units still work at sub-zero temperatures, but their coefficient of performance (COP) declines. Well-insulated homes and heat-store buffers keep overall system efficiency high.
Startpoints for households, community groups and councils
- Map local heat resources and demand. Identify industrial waste heat, rivers, sewage heat amd rooftop solar potential. Those maps reveal whether LTDH or STES projects make sense.
- Prioritise deep retrofit pilots with strong social safeguards. Focus on social housing and vulnerable households first — greatest benefit, quickest payback and vital equity gains.
- Invest in workforce skills and quality control. The benefits of heat pumps and retrofits hinge on good installation and commissioning; training programmes matter.
- Design district and community systems that use storage. Pair LTDH with STES and heat pumps to maximise renewable share and cut reliance on gas or diesel in winter.
Key takeaways
The technologies and system designs needed for a low-carbon winter already exist. What’s most striking from recent research is not a single silver bullet, but the synergy between solutions: lower distribution temperatures, seasonal storage, efficient heat pumps and careful building renovation form a coherent toolbox. For communities north of the 49th parallel, that toolbox can deliver warmer homes, lower bills and a faster route to net zero — provided policy, finance and a steady focus on good implementation follow the science.
Sources
Seasonal thermal energy storage: A techno-economic literature review, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2021-01-22
Low-temperature operation of heating systems to enable 4th generation district heating: A review, Energy, 2022-02-22
The efficiency and GHG emissions of air source heat pumps under future climate scenarios across Canada, Energy and Buildings, 2022-03-04
Achieving deep-energy retrofits for households in energy poverty, Buildings & Cities, 2023-06-01
Coming in from the cold: Heat pump efficiency at low temperatures, Joule / Cell 2023, 2023-09-11
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