The world’s largest particle accelerator has been supplying heat to thousands of homes in France since mid-January, in an effort to reduce reliance on traditional energy sources and slash CO2 emissions. It then feeds the recovered waste heat directly into the town’s district heating network, which was inaugurated on December 12. The network will supply the equivalent of several thousand homes and prevent the emissions of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). This building houses the link between CERN’s heat exchange system and the heating system for the new commercial and residential area of Ferney-Voltaire. Warming French homes As part of the district heating network, CERN supplies heat whenever possible, as long as it does not affect its research operations.