The Seaham Garden Village mine water heat network has won the Gamechanger Award at the 2026 Accelerate to Zero Awards, the Mining Remediation Authority announced. Judges selected the scheme from projects across the UK, with the award presented at a ceremony on Thursday 5 November 2026 held as part of BE-ST Fest in Glasgow. The award recognises innovative ways to support a just transition in the built environment.

The Dawdon mine water treatment scheme already pumps water from the flooded mine to the surface, where it is naturally between 18°C and 20°C. A 733kW water source heat pump raises the water's temperature, and the heat then travels through a network to 750 affordable homes. The scheme is expected to save 505 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

Dawdon Colliery began producing coal in 1904 and operated for 85 years. The treatment scheme pumps and treats water to protect the local aquifer, and the authority says the heat network does not change this safety role. Durham County Council, the Mining Remediation Authority, Karbon Homes and Vital Energi developed the network together. The authority operates more than 80 mine water treatment schemes across Great Britain.