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State of the art civil engineering techniques have been employed by Vital Energi to install district heating pipework 5.5 metres below the surface of Great Howard Street in Liverpool.

Using an innovative method, Vital Energi dug a 6 metre deep launch and receiver pit at either side of the key commuter route and then used a specialist hydraulic machine to bore the 32 metres between the two.  This allowed pipework for Peel NRE’s Mersey Heat district heating network to be installed without closing the road and avoiding significant disruption for the people of Liverpool.

Vital Energi’s Managing Director – Heat Networks, Ashley Walsh commented, “Due to the depth of the excavations an installation like this would normally close the road completely for approximately 15 weeks, which would have been disruptive for commuters and the people of Liverpool as it’s one of the main arteries into the city.  By utilising an innovative “pipejacking” method, we have managed to deliver a quality installation and keep the traffic moving, which was one of the core goals for us, Peel NRE and Liverpool City Council.”

This section of pipework is important as it will feed the Mersey Heat network from a new energy centre which gained planning permission last month, providing low-carbon heat and hot water for up to 9,000 homes and 4 million square foot of commercial space at Peel L&P’s £5bn Liverpool Waters development.

Vital Energi have signed a five-year deal with the North West Cambridge Development, providing over 1,000 Eddington residents with a revolutionary way to manage their energy use.

The first phase of the North West Cambridge Development, Eddington, has over 1,100 homes and has been designed with exemplary sustainability specifications to help support a healthy, active and environmentally conscious community.

The North West Cambridge Development has signed up to Glass, keen to encourage online account management in order to reduce paper billing, in line with their sustainability goals. Glass, Vital Energi’s new smart energy app and online portal, allows Eddington residents to access their utility accounts in a way that is easy and convenient for them.

Vital recently developed and launched Glass to give heat network users the visibility and control to better manage their energy use and payments, and it allows users to top-up or pay their bills anytime, anywhere. Using the built-in weather forecast, customers can also predict their future spend.

Glass also provides housing associations, local authorities, developers and other service managers with access to energy consumption and financial data via a dedicated portal. This will allow the North West Cambridge Development to better serve Eddington residents, optimise network performance and effectively reduce debt.

Warren Forsyth, Operations Director at Eddington, said: “We are delighted to have started working with Vital on the heat and estate service charge billing for all Eddington customers.  This will help us further develop and streamline Eddington’s utility billing to the benefit of our customers.”

Vital Energi has been working closely with North West Cambridge Development over the last seven years after supplying, designing and installing their district heating network, and taking over the operation and maintenance of their energy centre.

The Eddington energy centre generates heating and hot water for the homes at Eddington distributed via a district heating network rather than individual gas boilers in each property. This means for efficient use of resources, providing greener, more environmentally friendly heating, hot water and energy, which is a vital part of the sustainability strategy for the North West Cambridge Development.

Click here for more information about Glass.

The 3.75km district heating extension in Barking and Dagenham is not only helping to decarbonise the borough but is also bringing employment and training opportunities for local young people who want to join the “Green Workforce”.

Our most recent appointment sees Barking and Dagenham College student, Priscilla Boateng, join us on placement as a Trainee Site Manager. The placement is part of a social value agreement between Vital Energi and B&D Energy, (wholly owned by Barking and Dagenham Council), which will see us invest in local people and the local economy whilst delivering the project.

Vital Energi’s Managing Director – Heat Networks, Ashley Walsh, commented: “We’ve been working hard to create a greener borough through the installation of an extensive district heating network, and thanks to the council’s giving back initiative, we’re delighted to welcome local college student Priscilla on board, who will be a great asset to the team.”

Trainee Site Manager, Priscilla Boateng said, “I’m really grateful for the fantastic opportunity that Barking and Dagenham Council and Vital Energi have provided me with. I’m looking forward to working on a large-scale project close to home that will have a positive impact on the entire community through the decarbonisation of the borough.”

Vital Energi will also be appointing an apprentice on the project as part of their commitment to hire 20 apprentices in 2021 and further support the growth of the green economy

Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing, said: “I’m pleased to see the expansion of B&D Energy’s district heating network is now well underway. This is another fantastic step in our journey to becoming the green capital of the capital and demonstrates our commitment to decarbonising the borough for the benefit of local people. Not only does this support our vision for a greener borough for all, but it will also mean residents can benefit all round from this excellent work.”

When completed, the £10m heat network will connect 15 different sites, over 8,000 homes and deliver 12,000 tonnes of carbon reduction per annum.*  The heat network will be powered by a new energy centre which will house two 1.5MWe combined heat and power engines and 27MW of backup gas boilers which will provide added resilience as well as contributing during peak demand.

Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan visited the site of the new Castle Park Water Source Heat Pump project which will revolutionise how the city generates low-carbon heat.

The 3MW water source heat pump will be the largest project of its kind in England and will take water from the nearby floating harbour and use it to generate heat and hot water for local businesses and residents.

The heat pump will be housed in an energy centre which will have a mixed-use development built above it.  When operational it will contribute low carbon heat to the Bristol Heat Network which already supplies over 1,000 properties.

Both mayors toured the site, received a project briefing from Project Director Hugh Thompson and learned more about how the heat pump will take water from the nearby harbour and convert it into useable heat and hot water.

Manchester’s new Tower of Light structure has been officially switched on, marking a milestone in the development of the city’s new Civic Quarter Heat Network. 

Owned by the Council and built by Vital Energi, the focal point of the Civic Quarter Heat Network is the 40m Tower of Light, which will be lit up every night. The tower will be a striking new landmark in the city centre and be the most visible manifestation of the network, which will provide heating and electricity to some of Manchester city centre’s most iconic buildings. The network, which will go live early next year, will help them to reduce their carbon emissions and support the city’s transition to zero carbon by 2038.

Using low carbon power generated in an energy centre located underneath the railway arches by Manchester Central, the network will serve the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Central Convention Complex, Central Library, Heron House, Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Town Hall and Town Hall extension buildings via 2km of underground pipes.

And the network will also have the capacity to connect to other buildings in the vicinity – both existing and future, whether public or private-owned – helping them to reduce their carbon footprints too.

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment for Manchester City Council, said:

“The Civic Quarter Heat Network is a trailblazing system which demonstrates Manchester’s determination to cut our carbon emissions.

“As a Council we are committed to playing our full part in limiting the impacts of climate change as the city strives to become zero carbon by 2038 – at least 12 years ahead of the national target.

“It’s a complex challenge but ambitious projects such as this network show that we are taking action to rise to it. As well as looking beautiful, we hope that the Tower of Light will be a beacon for this kind of work.”

The network has an efficient combined heat and power engine which captures and re-uses heat created as a by-product of producing electricity. Although initially fuelled by natural gas, there are plans to further reduce its carbon footprint as alternative measures and fuel supplies become available including the use of biomethane and the potential introduction of hydrogen into the fuel mix in 2024

The project received Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) funding, which is delivered by Triple Point Networks Investment Management on behalf of the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Ken Hunnisett, Project Director for Triple Point Heat Networks, added:

“The Heat Network Investment Project has awarded more than £250m to projects across England and Wales and while we love them all equally, few if any are as breathtakingly beautiful as Manchester’s magnificent Tower of Light which seems destined be one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks and an icon of its ambitious net zero strategy.

“Many congratulations to everyone involved with the project on the achievement of this latest milestone.”

Work is almost complete at Beam Park, where we’ve designed and installed an energy centre to supply sustainable heat and power to 1,200 homes, and we’ll soon be handing the keys over to our client, Countryside.

We have installed all plant and equipment within the Energy Centre which includes 2no Bosch CHP and 6no Hoval gas fired boilers, LTHW and gas pipework. Flues have been installed to above roof level in Block L, in which the EC is situated (12 stories high), ventilation has 4no supply fans and 2no extract fans which have been ducted to their positions.

Electrical power is now available to BMS panel and is allowing commissioning of the system. Pumps, pressurization unit and Vacuum Degasser have now been commissioned, and supply and extract fans have been wired and are due to be commissioned next week.

Michael Davidson, Senior Project Engineer at Beam Park, said:

“This has been a really enjoyable project to work on, and we have a great relationship with the client. We hit a few bumps in the road in relation to the distribution network operator suppliers of gas and power, but we’re back on track and are ready for the boiler and gas commissioning in mid-November.”

Fun fact – located in the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering, the Beam Park site is the former home of one of the largest car plants in the world. It was also used for a dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and formed the backdrop for the popular British film ‘Made in Dagenham’.

We’ve secured phase 2 of the project where work will begin soon – watch this space!

The Leeds PIPES project has become one of the fastest expanding heat networks in the UK and the scheme is set to grow further with St James’s Hospital, Quarry House and Trinity Academy all announcing plans to connect to the network as part of Phase 3 works.

The project has already seen 26.5km of district heating pipework installed across Leeds during the first two phases of work and phase 3 will see an additional 2km installed.

The heat network distributes low-carbon heat from the nearby Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF), and delivers it to local residents, businesses and civic buildings.  The scheme already delivers significant carbon savings each year, and this is set to increase with the addition of the 3 new major connections.

Mike Cooke, Managing Director for North and Scotland at Vital Energi, said:

“Leeds PIPES is one of the most exciting heat networks in the UK.  Leeds City Council have demonstrated that cities can deliver massive, rapid decarbonisation as a way of meeting their climate emergency targets and this expansion will allow more organisations to utilise low-carbon heat, increase the efficiency of the network and deliver further carbon reductions.

“Whilst the carbon savings are of massive importance, its contribution towards fighting fuel poverty can’t be overstated as Leeds City Council can now offer 1,983 homes more affordable heat and hot water.”

In addition to delivering strong environmental benefits the Leeds PIPES project has supported 430 local, low-carbon sector jobs and 36 apprenticeships and continued safely throughout the pandemic.

This will be the third time Vital Energi has worked with St James’s Hospital to deliver a carbon reduction project after previously delivering an upgrade to their energy centre and, more recently, installing a range of energy conservation and generation measures, such as air and water source heat pumps, to lower their carbon further.

Martha Hart, Project Lead, Arup, said:

“We are thrilled that the second phase of the Leeds PIPES project is now complete, bringing affordable, low-carbon heat to homes and businesses across the city and Leeds another step closer to carbon neutrality by 2030.”

Vital Energi are delivering financial savings of £1.6m a year for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW), money that will be used to improve patient care.

They have also helped reduce the carbon footprint of UHCW’s two hospital sites by 4,125 tonnes a year after installing future-proof energy generation equipment.

The project, which was delivered under the Carbon and Energy Fund (CEF), involved significant restructuring works of University Hospital Coventry’s main clinical waste compound to be able to accept the new 3.3MW CHP and all ancillary equipment. New accommodation was constructed to relocate and store medical sharps cabinets, and a new delivery area built to redirect deliveries of clean linen and the removal of all site laundry.

Vital Energi also completed upgrades to the BMS system at the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby and upgraded over 2,000 lighting fittings to new efficient LED bulbs.

Work commenced in August 2019 and carried on through the pandemic. During this time, the biggest vaccine campaign in NHS history launched, and University Hospital administered the UK’s first ever Covid jab on 8th December last year.

UHCW Sustainable Development Manager, Clive Robinson, said:

“The Trust is pleased with the energy saving solutions provided by Vital Energi, the savings both financial and in carbon emissions are part of our journey towards net zero.

“Delivering a complex project such as this on a busy hospital site with minimal disruption was a credit to all involved.”

All teams involved in the project from Vital Energi, the Trust, the PFI, and all subcontractors, worked closely together to ensure a successful outcome.

Vital Energi have partnered with Danfoss and Camden Council to reduce the carbon consumption at Oakshott Court through the installation of a revolutionary Leanheat artificial intelligent software technology which is paving the borough’s way to net zero.

Thanks to their longstanding relationship with Camden Council, Vital Energi are trialling an energy efficiency tool which harnesses the power of digitalisation to optimise energy generation and consumption, and increase operational efficiencies.

The heating network temperature will be regulated to target a maximum of 24 degrees within the flats which will make a positive difference to the lives of the 114 residents of Oakshott Court, a 1970s block of flats in Somers Town which is owned by the council, who until now have experienced overheating in the summer months due to constant heating. The council and residents will now benefit from reduced carbon emissions and lower building maintenance costs.

Danfoss have acquired and continue to develop the intuitive Leanheat AI technology software which works with a built in weather compensation and predication tool, which will optimise the heating system water temperature to meet an ideal and comfortable ambient temperature across the flats. An outdoor weather sensor has also been installed to capture localised weather readings as part of the machine learning applied within the software.

Vital Energi have installed the hardware products required for the Leanheat software to be able to take control of the building, which includes a hardwired controller within the plant room in the basement of Oakshott Court. They have undertaken minor system modifications to the existing secondary heating pipework to accommodate a new three port control valve and temperature sensors, as well as installing climate room sensors strategically within a number of the 114 individual flats to gain an accurate heat map of the block and monitor the temperature and humidity of each dwelling.

The data from the climate room sensors is sent to a secured and encrypted cloud where, along with data from the internal sensors and outside weather sensors, readings are taken every 10 minutes and the AI software creates a new set point. A signal is then automatically sent to open or close the control valve where heating is fed into the building to ensure the correct temperature is maintained across the block.

Danfoss’ Software Solutions Manager – District Energy UK, Soulla Paphitis, said:

“Leanheat AI software is a revolutionary low cost and easy to implement solution which will drastically change the heating profiles of existing buildings. The aim is to reduce emissions and support the transition to net zero, ensuring minimal disruption to residents and making sure their comfort is met throughout the year.

“Working with Vital and Camden has been a breath of fresh air, Vital have driven ahead with being innovative and client focused whilst Camden have maintained a clear focus of resident comfort and future strategy across all their housing stock.”

Oakshott Court is connected to the existing Somers Town district heating network, which was designed and built by Vital Energi in 2014. The heat network delivers heat and hot water to the residents of Camden and was designed with expansion in mind, allowing additional buildings to be connected and for it to grow into one of London’s major heat networks.

Bristol’s heat network will enter a new stage of decarbonisation when the Castle Park heat pump begins generating low-carbon heat and we’re delighted that the new year has brought a series of major milestones.

The project team have so far installed the abstraction platform, which is responsible for the intake of harbour water, thermal store and, most recently, the delivery of the 32-tonne packaged plant room which will house the water distribution pumps, which circulate low carbon hot water from the water source heat pump within the energy centre.

The Castle Park project represents a significant investment and is being delivered in partnership between Goram Homes, Bristol City Council and Vital Energi and will supply 3MW of green heat into the network which already supplies heating and hot water to 1,000 properties.

The 3MW water source heat pump will take water from the nearby floating harbour and use it to generate low-carbon heat and hot water for the residents of Bristol via the existing Bristol heat network.

As part of the heat pumps development, people enjoying the north side of the park may notice warm air being ejected away from the energy centre. This is due to the installation of Dry Air Coolers which allow the heat from the pump to be dissipated into the air while the energy centre is being built. The scaffolding will be erected on the 28^th Jan 2022, with the units being delivered and set up on the 31^st Jan 2022. The units will be fenced off in the park and the warm air will be ejected away from the energy centre towards the north of the park. They will be there for approximately 6-8 weeks in total.

More information on the Bristol City Council’s heat network can be found on their Energy Service website.

Take a look at the progress pictures here