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Marking the first ministerial heat network visit under the new government, Minister for Energy Consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, stopped by Liverpool’s Mersey Heat Network Energy Centre this week. Led by Peel Group’s district heat network specialist Ener-Vate, and being delivered in partnership with low carbon solutions specialist, Vital Energi, the heat network has been twice funded by the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) and will provide low carbon heating and hot water to existing and new build regeneration projects for the locale, with plans to scale up to expand to a wider regional area.

The Mersey Heat Network Energy Centre is a true success story for the industry. The project was initially awarded £1.3m worth of funding in round 2 towards the first phase of its heat network which would connect new homes and businesses within the development. It was later awarded £6.2m in round 8 to fund one of two 3MW low-carbon heat pumps and an expansion to include Liverpool’s Three Graces buildings.

The Liverpool Waters regeneration development, spanning 2.3km across the city’s northern docks, will benefit from low carbon heat and hot water from a Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP), harnessing heat from the Leeds/Liverpool Canal. The innovative Energy Centre, which is being designed and built by Vital Energi, will reduce Liverpool’s carbon footprint and improve the energy-efficiency levels of over 6,700 new homes, 1.3 million sq feet of commercial space, the Titanic Hotel and conference spaces.

The funding has also facilitated a potential further extension of the network to the Grade II listed Cunard Building, George’s Dock Building and Museum of Liverpool, all of which define an iconic skyline along Liverpool’s Pier Head.

In April this year, the Princes Dock’s office buildings became the first commercial buildings to connect to the Mersey Heat Network. The Mersey Network Heat Energy Centre near Great Howard Street which houses the WSHP is set to complete by the end of this financial year.

Our award-winning net zero apprenticeship programme is enjoying its most successful recruitment year so far, with new starters joining the Vital family.

The new apprentices arrived for their first day in the industry and will split their time between studying at college and working on multiple projects and departments across our business where they will gain valuable insights into the cutting-edge technologies and strategies that are shaping the future of energy.

Mrs Stokes continues, “In addition to addressing the skills gap, we want to cultivate the next generation of leaders in this rapidly evolving industry, equipping them with the skills and experience necessary to complete our transition to a net zero economy.  I’m pleased to say I think I’ve already met several of these leaders in the first 3 years of this programme and we are all extremely excited to see the impact these young people have on the industry over the coming decades.”

This year’s new starters take our total number of apprentices across the business up to 56, accounting for roughly 8% of our workforce.  All level 3 graduates of the net zero apprenticeships scheme have progressed onto a degree-level apprenticeship.

If you’d like to learn more about our net zero apprenticeship programme, click here.

A new garden for Relationships Scotland Tayside & Fife

As with all our projects, we’re committed to delivering benefits to the communities we work in, and our latest project saw us working with CalForth Construction to renovate a garden for the fantastic Relationships Scotland Tayside and Fife, who support 1,500 people annually with their services.

Relationships Scotland, based in Dundee, provides crucial support services to families across Tayside and Fife, including counselling, therapeutic support, family mediation, and children’s contact, and in the past 12 months alone, beneficiaries have received over 8,000 support sessions.

Creating a key space for families in need of support

The newly upgraded garden will have huge benefits for the families and individuals who seek the services at Relationships Scotland Tayside and Fife. The now complete project has created a key space with a welcoming, calming environment that supports mental wellbeing and fosters positive experiences for both children and adults in need.

Edinburgh College has an ambition to be at the cutting edge of environmental sustainability within the further education sector and aims to dramatically reduce its carbon emissions by 2030.

With over 27,000 students, staff and specialist engineering equipment across the four campuses, the College has similar energy requirements to a small town, so needed a radical approach to accelerate their net zero journey.

The College will be working with Vital Energi to decarbonise their entire heating infrastructure within Midlothian Campus, removing the existing fossil fuel system and replacing it with the latest renewable heating technology. When complete, the project will be responsible for 101 tonnes of carbon reduction per year.

The works, delivered through the Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency Framework (NDEE), will replace the College’s existing gas heating system with a new 640kW air source heat pump. An integral part of this is the existing secondary heating system upgrades which will be implemented alongside the heat pump to provide optimum system operation.

The project is being delivered through the NDEE framework and comes with an energy performance contract, which guarantees certain key performance indicators, such as carbon reduction, will be met, giving the College the certainty that their new heating system will perform as promised.

Colin Mclaren, Edinburgh College Estates Services Manager, said, “We are excited to be working with Vital Energi to deliver this key project on the College’s journey towards net zero. The funding provided through the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficiency Grant Scheme has allowed us to fully implement decarbonisation at our Midlothian Campus, which is a pathfinder project for the sector.”

The Castle Park heat pump project in Bristol has proven a popular destination for politicians looking to learn how the latest renewable technologies are helping councils on their net-zero journey and the most recent visitor to the site was Ed Miliband, former Labour Party Leader and current Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero.

Mr Miliband was met by representatives from Bristol City Council and Vital Energi and toured the energy centre which will produce low-carbon heat for the Bristol Heat Network.

We’re delighted to welcome two new members to London and the South’s senior team, who together bring over 50 years’ industry experience.

Phil Vaulters has joined the Vital team as Operations Director, along with Lee Bennett, who is our new Operations Manager, strengthening our project delivery teams.

Passionate about engineering and with over 31 years industry experience working with some of the UK’s largest building services providers, Phil is skilled in building strong M&E teams to deliver multiple projects simultaneously with values ranging from £8m – £73m.

Here at Vital, Phil is responsible for project delivery for various M&E schemes, and is currently working on the Nine Elms Parkside and Barking Riverside projects, where his in-depth understanding of the challenges faced has enabled the development of comprehensive reporting methods to highlight and proactively provide solutions to overcome any issues early.

With 22 years in the industry and experience undertaking a wide variety of projects across multiple sectors for tier 1 main contractors, Lee brings a wealth of knowledge to his role as Operations Manager. He will deliver projects for clients on the RE:FIT framework, building the department to operate with an ever growing sector to form partnerships with companies and local governments, to help them on their path to net zero.

Lee is currently working on the City of London project, implementing ECMs across five of their key buildings, including the Guildhall and the Barbican, to help them achieve their ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2027. As well as implementing the control measures, a critical part of the works is the measuring and verification process which demonstrates that the carbon reductions are being achieved against the investment grade proposal.

Welcome to the Vital team!

We’ve been working with Dundee City Council for 7 years and have delivered three major energy conservation projects across their estate in that time, implementing technologies such as solar PV lighting, heating and ventilation upgrades and improvements to their Building Energy Management Systems.

Vital Energi delivered an energy performance contract on all three phases of the project which guarantees certain levels of performance, such as reduced energy costs and carbon savings and we are delighted to say that all three phases of the project are outperforming their original guarantees.

Phase 3 of the project has celebrated its anniversary and, after having the data verified by an independent third party, has outperformed its guaranteed targets by 17%.  This has seen the council reduce its carbon emissions by 693 tonnes, whilst saving over £262,000 in energy costs.

Previous phases had seen Vital Energi deliver energy upgrades to some of Dundee’s most-used community buildings such as Dundee Ice Arena and Central Library.  Phase 3 built on this success to add improvements to another 20 buildings.

Chris continues, “This was a great project by Dundee City Council which has not only saved them money, which can be better spent on essential services, but it has allowed them to make big strides towards their net zero goals.  We’re delighted that the installations are performing so well and are sure they’ll stand as an example of how city councils can reduce their emissions by hundreds of tonnes and make significant progress on their net zero journey.”

With all three phases now independently verified, the council are saving over £700,000 in energy costs per year and have reduced their carbon by 2,200 tonnes per annum.

The results are great news for Dundee City council who have pledged to reach net zero by 2038.

Duffryn Heat Network is one of the largest district heating pipework replacement projects being delivered in the UK and will see the original 50-year old network replaced with a brand new district heating scheme which will bring more reliable heating to the 1000+ homes connected to the network.

The project is a major undertaking which involves replacing 7.5km of ageing pipes  with a modern and highly insulated network. The project received a £3.7m grant from the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES), and this work will secure the future of the district heating system and deliver a better experience for customers.

Learn more about the project which is turning an ageing 1970’s heat network into a truly modern renewable energy solution in the video below.

Newport City Homes’ Duffryn Heat Network Replacement Project is one of the largest district heating pipe upgrade projects currently being delivered in the UK. It involves replacing 7.5km of ageing pipes with a modern and highly insulated network. The project received a £3.7m grant from the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES), and this work will secure the future of the district heating system and deliver a better experience for customers.

We were delighted to welcome a delegation from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on Wednesday 14 February to find out more about the district heating system, see the pipework being installed, meet the team behind the project and tour the biomass energy centre.

The Duffryn heat network provides heating and hot water to over 970 homes, local schools and businesses. Since installation in the 1970s, it remains an example of innovative sustainability. It uses locally sourced woodchip instead of fossil fuels, which reduces carbon emissions and contributes to better local air quality. Any waste product is given to local farmers to use as fertiliser. The new pipework will ensure the local community and future generations benefit from sustainable and reliable heating and hot water.

The heat network is being delivered in phases to minimise disruption, with completion scheduled for Spring 2024.