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Heat networks There are essentially two types of heat networks


– communal heating and district heating – both of which can employ heat pump technology. The latest heat pump technology off ers ultra-high effi ciencies, with high or low temperature options that fi t seamlessly into heat networks of either the district or communal variety.


Communal heating is the supply of heat and


The greening of heat


Heat networks combined with heat pumps are among the most cost- eff ective ways of reducing carbon emissions from heating. Although it is estimated that only around 2% of UK heat demand is delivered through heat networks, there are ambitions for this to reach 18% by 2050. Tim Mitchell, sales director of Klima-Therm, investigates


I


n business, an economy of scale is defi ned as a proportionate saving in costs gained by an increased level of production. In other words, it is


the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to their scale of operation. But economies of scale don’t necessarily apply


only to fi nancial gains; the same principle can be applied to energy saving. According to the Heat Trust, an independent, non-


profi t consumer champion for heat networks, “it can be more economic to have one large heat generator and pipe the heat to many properties, than for each property to have its own generator, especially where there is a large capital cost associated with the heat generator (for example, ground arrays for heat pumps)”.


Heat networks, which supply heat from a central


source to consumers via a network of underground pipes carrying hot water, are most effi cient and cost eff ective in heat dense areas, where pipes can be shorter between properties.


Combined with the latest heat pump technology, heat networks are key to cutting carbon emissions according to the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy. A spur to this approach is being provided by the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF). The GHNF (https://bit.ly/3hs4UaS) – a core element of the government’s Heat Network Transformation Programme – is a three-year, £288m capital grant fund which opened to applicants in March 2022. Since heat pumps are modular and scalable,


they are particularly well-suited to this type of heating provision, so district heating schemes can be designed to heat any number of properties of all sizes – from fl ats to detached houses. Heat pump systems can also run in tandem in


hot water, typically from an energy centre to several customers within one a single building. The energy centre might comprise a large boiler in the basement of a building or a heat pump on a roof or in a plant compound, with the heat and hot water distributed through the building via a series of pipes.


The delivery of low carbon heat has resulted in a marked shift away from natural gas towards electrifi ed heating systems. With the electricity grid now very much decarbonised, heat pumps have become a viable alternative to fossil-fuel powered systems.


Another benefi t of using heat pumps in


commercial and high-end residential heat network installations is the potential to provide cooling as a by-product of the heating, the heat source being the cooling systems of the served properties. With building insulation and air-tightness


multiple bases and plant rooms to provide heating and hot water for an essentially limitless number of buildings. As well as the clear environmental benefi ts, heat networks off er a host of other advantages. For example, they make maintenance easier and less risky because there is no combustion involved in generating heat and the central plant associated with heat networks means servicing and repairs can be made without entering properties. They also reduce energy bills in social housing, thus helping in the relentless fi ght against fuel poverty.


Useful resources


UK government: Heat and Buildings Strategy – https://bit.ly/3j3PgTj Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy: What is a heat network? – https://bit.ly/3hwXNhc Association of Decentralised Energy Market Report: Heat Networks in the UK - https://bit.ly/2BLTA34 WWF: Heat networks: The facts – https://bit.ly/3Wio5mo British Standards Institution: UK heat networks – https://bit.ly/3YyeM3E


standards improving and with our climate warming, overheating of occupied spaces is a real problem that can easily be mitigated with the same machines that are being used to generate the heat. The City of London, for example, is adding heat pumps to its Farringdon energy centre owned and run by E.ON in a bid to encourage more commercial buildings to plug into its low carbon heat network. The energy centre’s heat pump and borehole solution is claimed to cut the carbon emissions associated with heating and cooling by up to 50%. District heating involves a local energy centre that supplies heat and hot water to customers in more than one building. District heating networks can range in size from a few hundred metres supplying just a few homes to several kilometres of pipe supplying heat and hot water to multiple buildings in a development. For example, Vital Energi has installed what it claims to be the UK’s largest water source heat pump at Queens Quay, Clydebank, which will see two 2.65MW heat pumps extract energy from the River Clyde to provide heat and hot water to surrounding homes and businesses. Klima-Therm delivers a range of heat pump solutions suitable for heat networks and other commercial applications.


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