ENERGY SAVING


Europe. Unlike single-building heating solutions, district heating systems produce pressurised hot water or steam at a centralised heating plant and deliver it to multiple homes and buildings through a network of insulated underground pipes. Today, district heating systems account for just 8.5% of global heat consumption, though their use is considerably higher in some countries like Denmark and Sweden. They are most often used in densely populated urban areas or to heat smaller groups of buildings— such as a university or medical campus, for example. In 2021, heat networks met about 2% of heat demand in the UK, but they are a crucial aspect of the path towards decarbonising heat. As such, the use of district heating is expected to grow about 6% per year in Europe between now and 2027. Energy savings and environmental benefits can be compounded by using electricity instead of natural gas to heat the water. As if their superior performance weren’t justification enough, today’s high-efficiency heat pumps are made even more environmentally- friendly thanks in large part to the use of low-GWP, energy efficient refrigerants, such as Honeywell’s Solstice ze, which significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Solstice ze has a GWP lower than 1, compared to alternative low-pressure refrigerants with higher GWP values of 850–1,300. Heat pumps provide benefits year-round as the technology can also be used for cooling, as well as heating, ensuring that use for the technology extends past the winter months. Because of its dynamic usage, heat pumps are recognised as a key technology in the race to net zero. Notably, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) flagship report, “Net Zero by 2050,” states that heat pumps will be a cornerstone technology for displacing fossil fuel heating to achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions. There are strong examples illustrating the impact of district heating schemes using low- GWP refrigerant. One such example is the London Borough of Southwark, which holds the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. As part of that goal, the borough decided to upgrade its district heating networks, which serve around 17,000 council homes in the area. The plan called for replacing existing natural gas boilers with high-efficiency electric heat pumps. In collaboration with Vital Energi and its partners ICAX and J&E Hall, they designed and installed four 600 kW heat pumps and one 1 MW heat pump in three existing plant rooms. The heat pumps used Honeywell’s lower-GWP


Solstice N15 (R-515B) refrigerant, which met requirements imposed by both the borough and the project team.


For the first phase of the project, more than 2,000 council homes were brought online, and according to reporting and calculations from Southwark Council and Vital Energi, are now experiencing a significant reduction in carbon emissions. As a result, plans call for all of Southwark’s public housing stock to transition to low-carbon heat over time. Further supporting the rollout of district heating schemes, the UK government recently announced a fund of £54 million awarded to four heat network projects in England. This funding translates to roughly 28,000 homes and businesses being shielded from costly fossil fuels, helping reduce energy bills and the country’s energy independence. According to the government, the annual carbon


savings from these four projects alone is the equivalent to taking more than 5,500 cars off the road or the average household use of over 400 kettles. These are just some examples that demonstrate how district heating, electric heat pumps and low-GWP refrigerants can help reinvent the home and building heating and cooling infrastructure that we have relied on for generations. We know decarbonising is a fundamental part of the UK government’s strategy to reach net zero, and district heating networks are vital to achieving this. For that reason, we need to continue


innovating in this area to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, achieve our ambitious carbon-reduction targets and provide everyone with access to space heating and hot water that is dependable, affordable, and most importantly, sustainable.


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