Dear LAEP practitioner,

Thank you for agreeing to provide data from your LAEP for Networks to understand how your LAEP plans impact plans in your area.
This document pack is the data dictionary, which outlines what data we need to understand your LAEP plan in a way that is comparable with existing plans and other LAEPs.

The data dictionary contains documents to help you prepare your data relating to gas network demand for submission, including a different folder for 2 different technologies and a general information folder:

• District Heating
• General Information
• Individual Heating

These are the two key technologies within the scope of this part of the process currently, however we are aware that you may have forecasts and insights for other technologies which impact the gas network.
If you have forecast data for other technologies which you think are relevant, please let us know by emailing us at LAEP@ukpowernetworks.co.uk.
This will form a valuable insight into future updates to the data dictionary.

In the “General Information” folder, you will find the following:

• A data dictionary definition in Microsoft Excel format, a data dictionary guide in Microsoft Word format and a data dictionary checklist in Microsoft Word format. These contain the same kind of information as described for the technology specific folders, but cover the cases where data is relevant across multiple technologies or concerns contextual metadata around the LAEP.
• A file labelled “List of relevant 2011 LSOAs” and a file labelled “List of relevant 2021 LSOAs”, which can be referenced to see which LSOAs should be considered when compiling data.
• An optional template labelled “non_standard_area_lsoa_definition”, which can be completed if your LAEP covers a non-standard area, as described in the General Information guide.
• An Examples folder showing how the data dictionary questionnaire would be filled out in the two universal example cases found in the technology specific folders.
• A data dictionary questionnaire in Microsoft Excel format, which should be completed with information about your LAEP and returned.

Within each of the technology folders, you will find the following:

• A data dictionary definition in Microsoft Excel format, which contains the detailed specification for the format of documents to be sent over. This is the key description document for each technology, allowing users to understand the format of each of the data to be provided.
• A data dictionary guide in Microsoft Word format, which contains detailed information about how to assemble the data according to the requirements of forecasting. You should not need to refer to this technical document unless clarification is needed on a detail of how to assemble data in the correct format.
• A data dictionary checklist in Microsoft Word format, which is a quick reference guide to help in correctly assembling the required data files.
• An Examples folder which should be explored before preparing data so you can see examples of exactly how data should look for the LAEP. This contains files filled out with example data as a reference for how to complete the files for your LAEP. There are two or three different examples of data included, but note that you will only need to return one complete dataset:
	o There is an example “High Level Data”, which reflects a situation a detailed breakdown of LAEP data into the categories specified in the definitions document for the relevant technology cannot be provided.
	o There is an example “Preferred Resolution Data”, which shows the ideal format in which data should be provided if possible.
• Two “Templates” folders, one in CSV format and one in Excel format. Please note that these templates are the same apart from the format, and each file only needs to be provided in one format. Some of the templates are already partially complete with relevant data, which can be used to help compile data in the correct format. The types of template file you might see, depending on technology, are:
	o “Definition” files are partially complete and should be filled out and returned to indicate how the LAEP data categories used should be interpreted.
	o “Data template” files are empty and should be completed with the relevant LAEP data. Data can also be prepared in the data dictionary format and returned without using the data template files if preferred.

Using this data dictionary to guide you on the details of data compilation, you should ultimately provide the following files in a compliant format:

General Information
• A completed data dictionary questionnaire in Microsoft Excel format
• (Optional) Geojson files which describe any custom areas used in the data files.

District Heating
• Domestic district heating percentage uptake data to 2050 in CSV UTF-8 or Microsoft Excel format.
• Non-domestic district heating percentage uptake data to 2050 in CSV UTF-8 or Microsoft Excel format.
• A completed district heating technology definitions file in CSV UTF-8 or Microsoft Excel format.

Individual Heating
• Domestic individual building heating uptake  fractions of total building stock, where the total building stock excludes buildings with district heating, to 2050 in CSV UTF-8 or Microsoft Excel format.
• Non-domestic individual building heating uptake  fractions of total building stock, where the total building stock excludes buildings with district heating, to 2050 in CSV UTF-8 or Microsoft Excel format.
• A completed individual building heating technology definitions file in CSV UTF-8 or Microsoft Excel format.
• A completed heating technology building archetype definitions file in CSV UTF-8 or Microsoft Excel format.

As data is gathered from LAEPs about uptake of this technology, questions may arise about how to compare the results of different LAEPs and the underlying assumptions which inform them.
This may lead to additional or reformatted data being required to allow a fair comparison between LAEP data sets, or to understand the LAEP plans in greater detail.
If this occurs, you may be given the opportunity to update the LAEP data we hold by submitting additional information, but we will aim to minimise the number of data submission you are asked to make.

When compiling data, you may need to make decisions about the resolution of data provided, for example whether to provide data at a higher geographical resolution or for more individual years in the modelled period.
In this case, please refer to the guide for the relevant technologies on which types of resolution are preferred over others.

The data dictionary should include all the details you will need to return these files in the correct format.
If you have any questions about the data dictionary or the LAEP process, please do not hesitate to contact us.