The UK Is Now Using Gas Made From Cheese To Heat Homes

Leave it to the Brits to come up with an unusual way to save energy. Just thank the big cheese. Thousands of homes in Cumbria, England, will be heated this winter using biogas made from whey residues produced during the cheese-making process. Essentially, Camembert will make our friends across the pond a little less Camem-brrr this winter, while saving energy costs in the process.

The project is spearheaded by Clearfleau Limited, the company that built the plant where the cheese residues are derived.

"This project, generating biogas solely from creamery residues is based on British engineering and is transforming the way in which the dairy industry manages its residues," Craig Chapman CEO of Clearfleau Limited told Newsweek. "This shows how sustainability can be an integral part of our food supply chain. We are looking at other dairy projects as more companies realize the energy potential of their residues."

Approximately 1,600 homes will benefit from this unusual gas source, lowering the cost of residents' energy bills and with an added government subsidy of £2 million ($2.85 million USD).