The Bristol heat network has been awarded £13.5 million from the Government’s Green Heat Network Fund to deliver the Temple Quarter heat network project. This is a major step forward in the development of longer-term plans to serve low carbon heat as widely as possible in Bristol.
The Bristol heat network is being delivered as part of Bristol City Leap, a twenty-year partnership between Bristol City Council, Ameresco and Vattenfall, to support the city’s transition to a low carbon future.
The funding will support the construction of the Temple Quarter heat network, bringing together the existing Temple, Old Market and Redcliffe heat networks into one integrated system. Once connected, the combined network will make full use of the existing low carbon water source heat pump at Castle Park and be designed to enable a future connection to the approved Bath Road Energy Centre, supporting long-term expansion across the city.
There are currently 35 buildings connected to the Bristol heat network, supplying enough heat for the equivalent of almost 13,500 homes. Further growth is already underway, with up to four new connections planned within the next year.
The project also includes the development of a semi-permanent energy centre, an air source heat pump system designed as a flexible, ‘plug‑in’ solution. This solution will initially provide heating to the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Centre Academic Building, which is already connected to the heat network.
Once the Bath Road Energy Centre becomes operational, the semi-permanent energy centre can be relocated and reused elsewhere in the city, offering a practical and adaptable way to deliver low carbon heat where it is most needed.
Beyond delivering cleaner heat, Bristol City Leap is expected to generate significant social and economic benefits for the city. It has been estimated that the partnership will deliver a minimum of £61.5 million in social value over the next five years, including more than 1,000 new jobs, apprenticeships and work placements, as well as a new £1.5 million Community Energy Fund. To date, the partnership is on track to meet this ambition, with a total spend of £36 million so far.
Dom Barton, Director of Heat Networks, Bristol at Vattenfall Heat UK, said, “Vattenfall’s vision is that over half of all Bristolians living, working and learning in the city will be kept warm by the Bristol heat network by 2050. We’re pleased to be awarded this funding as a welcome step closer to connecting the current heat networks in Bristol and expanding them to serve low carbon heat as widely as possible in the city. This is critical infrastructure that will provide reliable low carbon heating and hot water to local homes and businesses.”
