HEAT NETWORKS | BRADFORD HEAT NETWORK BRADFORDS CULTURAL CONNECTION The first phase of Bradfords new heat network will be able to deliver up to 60GWh of low carbon heat when it comes online in 2026. Andy Pearson speaks to engineer FairHeat and 1Energy, the company behind the project, which plans to invest in 10 similar schemes in British cities B radford will be the UK Capital of Culture in 2025 and the city council has another ambitious goal for the near future. It wants Bradford to be the UKs leading clean-growth district, with a target for the city to be net zero by 2038, 12 years ahead of the national target. A key element to helping the council realise these ambitions is a privately funded, low carbon district heating network that will help the citys businesses and organisations to decarbonise their heating and hot water. Bradford Energy Limited (BEL), a joint venture (JV) between 1Energy and sustainable infrastructure investor Asper Investment Management, has been established to construct and operate the Bradford Energy Network (BEN). In its first phase, the scheme will deliver up to 60GW of low carbon heat to existing buildings in and around the city centre, generated by a series of giant air source heat pumps (ASHPs) and distributed via a network of large, insulated underground pipes. The 55m project is partly funded by a 20m grant from the UK governments Green Heat Network Fund alongside private investment from the 1Energy/Asper Investment Management JV. We are, we believe, the first heat network developer to bring private sector investment into the UK market to develop projects at city scale, says Jeremy Bungey, executive director 1Energy Group. In addition to Bradford, we have three other heat networks in development, and several others are in the early stages of going for grant applications to help meet our ambition of 10 city-scale projects over the next few years. 1Energys commercial case for developing retrofit heat networks is based on the need for 22 million existing properties to stop burning gas for heating by 2050, when the UK has committed to be carbon net zero. Really, there are only a couple of options available to decarbonise buildings: an individual building heat pump or connection to a heat network, explains Bungey. He says the heat network solution 38 January 2024 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Jan 24 pp38-41 Bradford heat network.indd 38 21/12/2023 17:54