£75 million Bradford heat network to go live
A £75 million energy network will provide low carbon heating to buildings across Bradford city centre when it is switched on next month.
A newly-built energy centre off Thornton Road will act as a mammoth air source heat pump - generating hot water that is then transported through an array of pipes beneath the streets of Bradford into the heating systems of buildings like City Hall and the Crown Court.
The Bradford Energy Centre off Thornton Road Image:T&A
Work on the energy centre is nearing completion, and the network, run by 1 Energy, has been developed through a mix of private investment and Government grants.
The underground pipes that transport the heat across the city were laid ahead of the recent pedestrianisation of Bradford city centre.
They are linked to the University of Bradford Campus, Bradford College’s buildings, Bradford Crown Court, Bradford Magistrates Court, and Bradford City Hall.
Negotiations are underway with a number of other organisations in Bradford, and buildings like the Alhambra theatre may be linked up to the network in the coming years.
Hot water pumped from the energy centre and through these pipes will provide these buildings with low carbon heat – meaning they will be able to ditch their boilers.
The centre is almost completed, and the network will be providing heat from the end of next month.
The energy centre, which cost £20m to build – is designed to be a huge scale air source heat pump – with an array of fans on the roof, and an entire floor designed as a wind tunnel to cool the equipment. It has been built on a former gas works site at the junction of Thornton Road and Listerhills Road.
Rory Langdon Image: T&A
Rory Langdon, Business Development Manager, Bradford Energy Network, said the energy centre was the “nerve centre” of the network, and once up and running will require minimal staff to run.
He said the building essentially operated as a large-scale air source heat pump – but it was on such a huge scale it could supply heat for 10,000 homes.
Mr Langdon believes that once the network is up and running, more organisations will sign up to be part of the network.
“It is the same concept as a heat pump – but this is rolling it out on a city-wide scale.
“The efficiency comes from scale, both the heat being generated and on a commercial level. There are so many benefits.
“This will be running for up to 80 years, so it is a huge long-term investment.. On this scale, this centre is pretty unique.
"Of all the energy networks we’re developing, this in the flagship one, the most advanced one.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to build an energy centre of this size again – It is great we’ve been able to get a footprint this big.”
He added the network was a huge success story for Bradford, and would bring national attention to the city as other areas look to replicate what was being done here.
But he acknowledged it may be something that passes the public by, “It is hard to get people excited about heating and hot water infrastructure.”
Although the network is run by low carbon air source heat pumps, there are a number of backup gas boilers on site should there be a catastrophic fault with the system.
A huge flue on the site will only be used if these gas boilers are needed. The aim is for the scheme to be fully zero carbon by 2040.
Image: T&A
Around 60 per cent of the building’s roof is currently taken up by the fans that power the heat pump. As the network expands, more fans will be added to the roof.
Mr Langdon said: “This is a hugely important investment for Bradford. It will protect these buildings from any energy market volatility.
"In addition, it will put Bradford right at the heart of the low carbon transition.
“The environmental benefits from this network will be transformational – when it goes live, buildings that are connected will decarbonise their heat systems overnight.”
The network is projected to lead to a reduction in CO2 in Bradford’s air of 10,000 tonnes a year.