Heat network to receive £9m government grant

A hospital, several schools and hundreds of homes are set to benefit from a £9m expansion of a new clean heat network in West Yorkshire.

For the past few years work has been underway to develop a low carbon heat network in Bradford city centre and the government announced the extra funding on Tuesday.

Buildings to benefit from lower bills and cleaner heating include St Luke's Hospital, 255 homes and seven schools and colleges, said the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The project is one of five in England to receive a share of more than £78m to develop new low carbon heat networks.

Heat networks are a way of heating multiple buildings from a central source via a network of pipes carrying hot water, which provide communities with low-cost and efficient heat, according to DESNZ.

Minister for Local Energy and Jobs Martin McCluskey said: "Clean power and clean heat benefits communities across our country.

"Building the infrastructure to deliver it is reindustrialising the UK and rolling out cutting edge energy technology so families can benefit from lower bills, good jobs and energy security."

The project is powered by an array of air source heat pumps at an energy plant near Thornton Road, and the network will also provide heat to buildings like Bradford City Hall and buildings in Bradford College and the University of Bradford.

Residents on existing heat networks across Yorkshire will also benefit from lower bills and less waste after upgrades to heat networks in Bradford, Leeds and York.

Upgrades will include replacing leaky pipes, insulating pipework to reduce heat loss and replacing interface units in homes.

Bradford-based social housing provider Incommunities will also receive £103,764 from this fund.

The £75m heat network, run by 1 Energy, has been developed through a mix of private investment and government grants and the underground pipes that transport the heat were laid ahead of the recent pedestrianisation of Bradford city centre, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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