Discover what you need to take into account when planning a community heating scheme.

1. Lessons Learned
www.switch2.co.uk
Key takeaways from four successful
community heating schemes

2. www.switch2.co.uk
Here we look at four ideas from
recently completed networks.
The basics of a successful community heating scheme begin with
careful planning, modelling and specification. However, once the
foundations are laid, there are a variety of ways developers can
think creatively to bring extra benefits to the scheme.

3. www.switch2.co.uk
Engage carefully with residents
Sheffield City Council
6,500
residents
Home
visits
Information
days
Multilingual
staff
£1.4 million
savings

4. www.switch2.co.uk
Engage carefully with residents
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council understood the benefits of heat metering and
Pay As You Go, and launched an initiative to introduce the latest system
into 6,500 properties in its district and community heat network.

5. www.switch2.co.uk
Sheffield City Council
Engage carefully with residents
Early engagement started with a meeting to inform residents what
the work would consist of and how long it was expected to take.
Resident liaison officers then carried out door-to-door home visits and
organised local information days, with the support of multilingual staff.

6. www.switch2.co.uk
Sheffield City Council
£238
Engage carefully with residents
Figures from the first 227 homes on the new system for a full year show
households are saving an average of £238 on their annual heating bill. Council
tenants are set to save more than £1.4 million when the scheme is completed.
£

7. www.switch2.co.uk
Sheffield City Council
Engage carefully with residents
James & Debbie from Pedley Estate, Sheffield
“We are very happy with the new meter and
it is costing us less to heat our home.”

8. www.switch2.co.uk
Think about alternative energy sources
Affinity Sutton, Kingston Heights
Heat source:
solar energy
Carbon
emissions:
500 tonne
reduction
Heating bills:
18% reduction
CO2 £

9. www.switch2.co.uk
Think about alternative energy sources
Affinity Sutton, Kingston Heights
Community heating doesn’t have to be gas-fired; a number of
alternative sources can be used, including emerging technologies.

10. www.switch2.co.uk
Think about alternative energy sources
Affinity Sutton, Kingston Heights
Kingston Heights, a 137-flat development, is the perfect example and was
called a “game changer” in 2014 by then-Energy Secretary, Ed Davey, for
its pioneering use of solar energy stored in the River Thames.

11. www.switch2.co.uk
Think about alternative energy sources
Affinity Sutton, Kingston Heights
The scheme uses an open water heat pump system to draw out 13m
litres of water each day and heats it to the required temperature. This
method not only reduces carbon emissions by 500 tonnes each year,
it also cuts the cost of heating a one-bedroom home by 18%.
CO2

12. www.switch2.co.uk
Consider off-site production
11 boiler
house
upgrades
Minimal
downtime
22% cost
savings
234,000
tonnes CO2
reduction
CO2
Gentoo Group, Sunderland

13. www.switch2.co.uk
Consider off-site production
Gentoo Group, Sunderland
In Sunderland, Gentoo’s residents were keen about the
upgrade to 11 boiler houses, welcoming an end to breakdowns,
inefficiency and high gas prices. However, they were
understandably less enthusiastic about possible power outages.

14. www.switch2.co.uk
Consider off-site production
The decision was taken to manufacture and test the boiler house
and all components off-site to allow for a quick installation.
Gentoo Group, Sunderland

15. www.switch2.co.uk
Consider off-site production
This meant the entire switchover process could be carried out
with just a few hours downtime, with residents connected to more
efficient boilers and benefiting from commercial gas prices.
Gentoo Group, Sunderland

16. www.switch2.co.uk
Design with expansion in mind
E.ON/Barratt, Dalston Square
553
Apartments
Code for
Sustainable
Homes
Level 3
29% lower
CO2
emissions
23% lower hot
water bills
Remotely-
read smart
meters
CO2

17. www.switch2.co.uk
Design with expansion in mind
E.ON/Barratt, Dalston Square
The £2.5m Hackney scheme, completed in 2013, includes 553 apartments,
a public square, shops, restaurants, a library and a station on the East
London line. Creating a brand new part of the city fabric, the developers
were always mindful of growing the scheme into the surrounding area.

18. www.switch2.co.uk
Design with expansion in mind
E.ON/Barratt, Dalston Square
Combined load profiles from many buildings can be combined over a city-wide
scheme, creating a more constant load demand and improving the running of
any CHP system. Meanwhile, the operating expenses are spread more widely
between scheme participants, keeping the cost of the heat down.

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Maybe your scheme will be the next
to feature mould-breaking advances.
Britain’s community heating schemes are developing in
scope and sophistication, with DECC recently announcing
£300 million of funding for up to 200 UK heat networks.

20. www.switch2.co.uk
• Be sure to consult properly with residents to make
sure they are able to fully appreciate the work
• Consider sources of energy other than gas when
specifying your scheme
• Where continuous heat is needed during an
upgrade, think about off-site manufacture of boilers
• Is your scheme in an urban area? It’s worth thinking
about future connections to the wider city fabric
Takeaways:

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Time to deliver: How to run and manage
a successful community heating scheme
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