Worthing heat network - large air source heat pumps - connected to every home.

[cupid_stunt]

Apparently Worthing could become the greenest town in the UK, with this scheme about to start, at first connecting to all public buildings, such as the town hall and hospital, before being rolled-out to every home in the borough.

Giant heat pumps powering a district heating network could turn the retirement resort of Worthing, West Sussex, into one of the UK’s greenest towns under government plans.
The £500m plan will see heat extracted from the atmosphere and then pumped first to public buildings and eventually to households in the area.

The Worthing heat network will initially use three large air source heat pumps in an energy centre by a car park in the town centre.
At first they will heat large public buildings, including the town hall and local hospital. Homes will be connected later, with plans for the entire town to be hooked up by 2050.

Connected properties no longer need boilers or hot water tanks but instead use a heat exchanger similar in size to a small gas boiler.

https://archive.ph/AVPIh

 

[xenon]

How’s that gonna work for blocks of flats? Makes sense where you have some outside space and enough exterior wall to mount the equipment. But on many flats that just isn’t the case, never mind the expense.

 

[cupid_stunt]

How’s that gonna work for blocks of flats? Makes sense where you have some outside space and enough exterior wall to mount the equipment. But on many flats that just isn’t the case, never mind the expense.

It's a communal system, so the heat pumps can be located anywhere, I guess some will be on the roofs of tower blocks, the initial big ones we look like this...

Heat networks, also known as district heating, work by collecting local unused heat, turning it into hot water and distributing that hot water to local users via a network of underground pipes. They are a low carbon replacement for gas boilers, providing both heating and hot water.

Overall, in the right location, heat networks are 40% cheaper than using individual air source heat pumps for each building. They are commonplace in towns and cities in Scandinavia.

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/ps500m-low-carbon-heating-project-gets-underway-in-worthing-4623448

 

[StoneRoad]

I still think air-source heat pumps are noisy ...

 

[two sheds]

I recently bought a portable heat pump. Varied experience with it but sound output is 56 dB (all the rest said 65 dB which would be intolerable in the same room) which is classed as between normal home noise and normal conversation. It's not hugely disturbing although you wouldn't really want to be in the same room - I use it to warm up the room before going in. Not surprising really because they're effectively got the gubbins of a very large refrigerator. Not all that loud outside and as I say it's not often actually on.

 

[what]

It's a communal system, so the heat pumps can be located anywhere, I guess some will be on the roofs of tower blocks, the initial big ones we look like this...

View attachment 424008

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/ps500m-low-carbon-heating-project-gets-underway-in-worthing-4623448

It's a poor idea.
As the quote says these networks are designed to use waste heat, in the past that was power station or industrial process waste heat. When you don't have waste heat then they become really a bad idea as you are wasting a lot of energy pumping the water around and in the heat loss from the pipes.

Oh and don't forget the heat pump needs electricity to work

 

[xenon]

It's a communal system, so the heat pumps can be located anywhere, I guess some will be on the roofs of tower blocks, the initial big ones we look like this...

View attachment 424008

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/ps500m-low-carbon-heating-project-gets-underway-in-worthing-4623448

I’m all for it if it works in the local circumstances. Just been a lot of talk about heat pumps. Houses. No mention of how it’s supposed to work in flats. We have a district heat network being incorporated to some new developments in Bristol though. Makes sense. Amount of heat that is literally flushed down the sewer. Otherwise being wasted.

 

[JimW]

How’s that gonna work for blocks of flats? Makes sense where you have some outside space and enough exterior wall to mount the equipment. But on many flats that just isn’t the case, never mind the expense.

Used to live in a block that was heated by geothermal, there was a utility block with the kit in it at the entrance to the estate and then the hot water was piped all around the various flats, so no kit bar the pipes and radiators for each flat plus a thermostat.

 

[Elpenor]

Google district heating and Cranbrook and you’ll see a lot of negative views

 

[what]

And don't forget the people getting the heat are not protected when fuel prices go mad

As energy price cap lowered for most – government scraps price protection for households with communal heating

Heat Trust is all about protecting heat network customers. We are an independent, non-profit consumer champion for heat networks that holds suppliers to account for the benefit of everyone involved. We strive to make sure customers enjoy the benefits of heating systems fit for the future by...

www.heattrust.org

 

[Saul Goodman]

I think it's a great idea, which will end up 10x over budget and never finished.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Google district heating and Cranbrook and you’ll see a lot of negative views

That seems a totally different type of system, mainly powered by gas, so no wonder bills went up in recent winters, that's also currently unregulated too.

This system will be mainly powered by air heat pumps, that are proven to work, and waste heat, including from the sewers and sewage treatment works, the council has established a Governance Agreement with the operator, and district heat networks will be regulated by OFGEM from 2025.

 

[cupid_stunt]

And don't forget the people getting the heat are not protected when fuel prices go mad

As energy price cap lowered for most – government scraps price protection for households with communal heating

Heat Trust is all about protecting heat network customers. We are an independent, non-profit consumer champion for heat networks that holds suppliers to account for the benefit of everyone involved. We strive to make sure customers enjoy the benefits of heating systems fit for the future by...

www.heattrust.org

They will be from 2025, when they come under the remit of OFGEM.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I think it's a great idea, which will end up 10x over budget and never finished.

Possibly, but it's privately funded, they operator has £1 billion of investment to deploy into town.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Oh and don't forget the heat pump needs electricity to work

True, but the offshore windfarm, that currently can power up to 350,000 homes, is about to go to stage 2, more than doubling output, with battery storage also planned.

 

[Dogsauce]

There’s one near Angel at the site of the old City Road tube station that uses waste heat from the London Underground, think it powers some of the social housing blocks down that way.

 

[equationgirl]

There’s one near Angel at the site of the old City Road tube station that uses waste heat from the London Underground, think it powers some of the social housing blocks down that way.

I think you're right, not sure if it's a permanent thing or an experimental project. The problem with the tube is a) space is very limited to install additional ductwork to move the heat out and b) the wadteheat might be too low quality tone useful once the pipework losses are taken I to account.

In theory it's a good idea, in practice there are technical barriers to successful implementation.

I also shared xenon's concerns over air source heat pumps for flats, especially older properties.

District heating is not a new concept, it was popular in soviet-era blocks of flats and has been used in various places in Scandinavia. Blocks of flats here in Glasgow share a central boiler facility for community heating and hot water.

 

[Dogsauce]

I think you're right, not sure if it's a permanent thing or an experimental project. The problem with the tube is a) space is very limited to install additional ductwork to move the heat out and b) the wadteheat might be too low quality tone useful once the pipework losses are taken I to account.

In theory it's a good idea, in practice there are technical barriers to successful implementation.

I also shared xenon's concerns over air source heat pumps for flats, especially older properties.

District heating is not a new concept, it was popular in soviet-era blocks of flats and has been used in various places in Scandinavia. Blocks of flats here in Glasgow share a central boiler facility for community heating and hot water.

There was one on a housing estate near Doncaster from the 70s I think. Had a great space-age chimney thing on the heating centre. Got demolished over a decade ago, I did a bit of work on the site. I’ll try and find where it was and a picture if I can.

ETA: found it, after a trawl through my instagram! It was in Carcroft. Think it only did one block though so not really ‘district’. Behold South Yorkshire’s ‘space needle’.

 

[Dogsauce]

I think you're right, not sure if it's a permanent thing or an experimental project. The problem with the tube is a) space is very limited to install additional ductwork to move the heat out and b) the wadteheat might be too low quality tone useful once the pipework losses are taken I to account.

In theory it's a good idea, in practice there are technical barriers to successful implementation.

I think it was added in to an established network, something to do with Bunhill Emergy Centre on Central St. I think there is a network serving some of the blocks north of the Barbican area which they were planning to extend. The tube thing at City Rd station was started about five or six years ago, just after we move away from a flat overlooking that site.

 

[equationgirl]

I think it was added in to an established network, something to do with Bunhill Emergy Centre on Central St. I think there is a network serving some of the blocks north of the Barbican area which they were planning to extend. The tube thing at City Rd station was started about five or six years ago, just after we move away from a flat overlooking that site.

I'm trying to remember more about the project, there was a big article about it in my engineering magazine when it was first announced. I think you're right, it was added to an existing network.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Well, it's all going ahead, with work about to start at the hospital.

Car parking will be disrupted at Worthing Hospital during preliminary works to bring in a new urgent treatment centre – and install heat pumps.

A spokesperson explained: “Capital works at Worthing Hospital, including preliminary works to make way for a new urgent treatment centre and installation of heat pumps as part of the Worthing Heat Network are due to begin at the end of July and expected to take approximately 12 weeks.

The NHS trust explained: “Being part of the network will help to heat Worthing Hospital more efficiently and with fewer carbon emissions, as part of the trust’s commitment to the Patient First, Planet First green plan. It will also allow homes and businesses across the town to benefit from greener energy too.

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/health/worthing-hospital-warns-public-to-expect-parking-disruption-with-major-projects-set-to-begin-4718389

 

[taperoo2k]

They built a heat network between the John Radcliffe Hospital and the Churchill Hospital some time ago (a big task given the distance between the two hospitals). The system is
being upgraded to switch to heat pumps. Which I guess was in the plans all along. Hopefully we'll have local heat and energy networks in the future.