1Energy develops Bradford Energy Network
Low-carbon city heat network developer 1Energy has secured £75m of investment and three anchor customers for its heat pump-powered network in Bradford.
Alongside partners the University of Bradford, Bradford College, and Bradford Courts, the Bradford Energy Network will enable the rapid decarbonisation of heating.
Cash for the scheme comes from private capital and public investment, including £20m of investment from the UK Government’s Green Heat Network Fund.
Using Bradford as a blueprint, 1Energy has ambitions to deploy £1bn within the next eight years into building new city-wide, low-carbon heat networks across the UK.
Investment comes through Asper Investment Management’s dedicated fund, which supports the development, construction and operation of 1Energy’s heat networks.
The Bradford Energy Network is projected to reduce the carbon emissions from heating connected buildings by 80% during its first phase, supporting the council’s city-wide net zero targets. Connecting to a heat network is the lowest cost way to reduce carbon emissions from heating at scale, it claimed, with upfront and operational costs significantly less than individual building-level heat pumps.
By replacing gas boilers with heat network connections, as well as reducing carbon emissions, the project will reduce other forms of air pollution from heating by 75% during its first phase. Additionally, the project will save its three key partners 29,780 tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking over 21,360 cars off the road.
Andrew Wettern, CEO of 1Energy, said:
“We cannot reach net zero without decarbonising heat.
“The Bradford Energy Network is a flagship project in the UK’s transition to low carbon heating. Crucially, it also provides a blueprint for national rollout, successfully demonstrating how to: deploy institutional investment alongside Government funding, deliver savings for customers in the transition, and decarbonise existing and new buildings across a city through an exemplar low carbon heat network.”
Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford, said:
”The network provides an opportunity to show the government how to build a brighter future for young people across the country, with other cities following in Bradford’s footsteps. It shows how we as a university, are enabling positive change, for people and planet.”
Chris Malish, Vice Principal of Bradford College, said:
“Joining the Bradford Energy Network is another significant milestone in Bradford College’s sustainability strategy. After all the planned works are complete, a total annual direct carbon saving of over 285 tonnes per year is predicted, moving us a step closer to achieving Net Zero.
“Nearly 3,500 staff and students based at our David Hockney Building and Advanced Technology Centre will benefit from this transition to renewable energy.”
Ade Alao, Head of Capital Improvement at HM Courts and Tribunals Service, said:
“It will save hundreds of tonnes of carbon emissions over the course of two decades as part of our transition to a more environmentally sustainable courts estate.”
Image courtesy of Bradford Energy Network
