Podcast: The challenge and opportunities associated with delivering heat networks

Glen Miller and Kim Hansen from Grundfos Pumps look at best practice in the design of district energy networks and the role pumps can play in ensuring system efficiency 

The Committee on Climate Change has recommended that up to 18% of heat demand should be met by heat networks by 2050, and it has emphasised the importance of connecting non-domestic buildings to networks. It states that these should account for 53% of total heat delivered by heat networks by 2050.

Grundfos’ Glenn Miller and Kim Hansen will share the Danish company’s extensive experience of district energy networks, while CIBSE’s Julie Godefroy looks at the government policies that are being used to encourage the uptake of heat networks.

The podcast will look at the influence pumps have in overall system performance and the role they play in the efficiency of individual components in a district energy system.

Guests in the podcast chaired by Alex Smith are:

Glenn Miller, product and solutions manager who has worked as an engineer in construction since 2005.

Kim Hansen, business development and solutions manager in District Energy, who has been specialising in developing digital solutions for district heating networks that are driving improved energy efficiencies.

Julie Godefroy, who is the head of sustainability at CIBSE and has been involved in CIBSE’s response to the government’s proposals on growing the number of heat networks in the UK.

Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud here.

Background reading

In its recent Heat and Buildings Strategy reinforced its commitment to heat networks. The £338m Heat Network Transformation Programme has been committed to expand the market and as part of this in April 2022 a Green Heat Network Fund in England will replace the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP).

CIBSE documents provide the technical guidance to ensure heat networks operate as efficiently as possible. These are the CP1 code of practice, a recently published Design Guide: Heat networks and a Guidance Note: Domestic hot water temperatures from instantaneous HIUs

The government also published a consultation on Proposals for heat network zoning that, which aims to identify the areas that would most benefit from a heat network.