Construction
Building a heat network requires us to work on parts of the highways network to install our underground pipes. We recognise any roadworks can be unwelcome so we’re working closely with Devon County Council Highways team to identify the best routes to minimise disruption. Once we have agreed the route we’ll publish details of any works well in advance and will be engaging with local residents and businesses to make sure they understand potential impacts and options to avoid delays.
The exact routes are still under consideration but we are looking to minimise disruption and hold ups as far as possible. The process involves trenching insulated pipes in the road which will require some traffic management. Details will be set out in a formal traffic management plan nearer the time.
Once the network is installed you won’t even notice it, and it will go on serving the city with low carbon heat for many years to come.
Timelines
We expect to begin consulting on routes for the construction and publicising our plans in the coming months.
Construction will start later on in 2024, with an aim to supply heat to buildings in 2026.
How the Bradford Energy Network will work
The district heat network being brought forward in Bradford will be the largest scale Air Source Heat Pump district heating network in the UK.
Its development and delivery will be funded partly through the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF), a source of grant funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and partly through private investment from 1Energy.
District heat networks provide heat on a large scale and can provide properties that are separated by several miles with heat from the same source. In its first phase the district heating network will provide a low-to-zero-carbon heating solution for key buildings in Bradford city centre. There is, however, the ambition and potential to expand the network significantly over the near term to areas adjacent to the city centre.
