News / Energy
Bristol ‘ahead of the game’ with heat pumps
An energy centre in Castle Park and a new-build housing estate in Ashton Vale have been praised as examples of Bristol leading the way in renewable energy.
Castle Park Energy Centre is the UK’s largest water source heat pump which uses water from the Floating Harbour to heat more than 2,500 flats, a school, a health centre and several offices.
And in the Ashton Rise development next to the guided metrobus lane in Ashton Vale, water is brought up by 100m-deep boreholes, with each house on the estate having its own ‘shoebox’ heat pump smaller than a mini-fridge.
is needed now More than ever
A series of boreholes at Ashton Rise sustainably extracts low grade heat stored in the ground – photo: Willmott Dixon
The praise comes in a recent article in The Economist looking at why Britain’s homes will need different types of heat pump.
The Economist article says that the Castle Park Energy Centre “is only the start”.
Bristol City Council wants it to form part of a citywide heat network that covers 62,000 homes by 2030. The council is transferring its heat network assets to the private sector.
A mixed-use development is due to be built on top of the energy centre by council-owned housing company Goram Homes, with construction due to begin in 2024.
“Bristol is ahead of the game in part because it changed its planning policy to require large buildings in the city centre to consider connecting to heat networks,” says The Economist.
“Elsewhere zoning policies make it more difficult to plan networks or dig up entire streets.
“Current rules also impede financing for upfront investments like Castle Park and Ashton Rise.
“The government expects heat networks to account for around a fifth of heating in Britain by 2050. To get to that mark, they will need a helping hand from policymakers.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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