One of Britain’s largest heat networks has begun warming sites across Bradford, including its Grade I listed City Hall. Built on the site of the city’s former 19th century gasworks, the project’s energy centre marks a new chapter for Bradford’s energy system.
Developed by 1Energy, a leading UK low-carbon heat network developer, the network is cutting customers gas demand by 75%, representing a key milestone in Bradford’s journey to energy security. Currently, 45% of the UK’s gas supply is imported, meaning the country and its businesses are highly exposed to volatile global markets. Organisations that connect to the network can swap their dependence on foreign fuel for greater control, with home-grown energy helping to protect against price hikes.
As the project allows them to avoid replacing aging boilers, it can also save money on maintenance. The University of Bradford is projected to save tens of millions of pounds in such costs.
John Hartley, CEO of 1Energy, said, “For generations, this site supplied the gas that powered Bradford. Today, it begins a new chapter, providing low-carbon heat for some of the city’s best-known buildings and putting Bradford at the forefront of modern energy infrastructure.
“Connecting to the Bradford Energy Network gives organisations a practical way to reduce their reliance on gas, moving away from ageing boilers and towards modern energy infrastructure that will strengthen the city’s energy resilience. This £75 million investment creates infrastructure that can grow with Bradford and support its businesses and public services for decades to come.”
While the network currently makes use of one of the UK’s largest air source heat pump systems, it can also incorporate additional local heat sources as it grows, such as surplus heat from businesses. As such, it strengthens the city’s long-term energy resilience and gives local companies an opportunity to benefit.
Additionally, the project is protecting public health and cutting healthcare costs across Bradford by reducing harmful air pollution from connected buildings by 75%. It is also expected to cut carbon emissions by at least 75%, saving over 2,200 tonnes of carbon in its first year, equivalent to removing up to 15,000 short haul flights.
Cllr Andrew Judson, Deputy Leader of Bradford Council, said, “Bradford is showing other cities what can be done by delivering modern energy infrastructure that supports our regeneration ambitions and strengthens the city’s offer to businesses and developers. It is an achievement the whole city can be proud of, showing how Bradford is leading the way in building a more resilient local economy.
“By reducing reliance on imported gas and improving air quality, the network will bring lasting benefits for local people. As it grows, it can support more businesses and buildings, providing infrastructure that helps Bradford attract further investment and thrive.”
From famously cool air to city-wide heat
The project uses air source heat pump systems to extract warmth from the air, concentrate it, and turn it into useable heat – like a fridge, but in reverse. Producing enough reliable, clean heat to supply the equivalent of 10,000 homes per year, the scheme is already warming the city’s courts and council buildings, the University of Bradford and Bradford College. 1Energy are also in negotiations with several other significant heat users across the city.
The network carries heat from the energy centre across Bradford, via a 5km (3 mile) network of underground insulated pipes, to the company’s customers. Heat exchangers then transfer warmth into the heating systems in connected buildings, replacing heat that was previously produced by individual gas boilers.
£75mn of investment and a model for funding the UK’s transition to energy security
Developed at no cost to the local community, the project represents £75mn of investment in Bradford, combining £55mn of private capital and £20mn of Government investment through the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF). With a further £9.7mn in GHNF funding secured to support the networks expansion, 1Energy could invest over £100mn into the network as it grows.
As the first heat network in the UK that was funded by institutional investors, including pension funds and asset managers, it establishes a model for financing the country’s transition to energy resilience. Using the ‘Bradford blueprint’, 1Energy plans to deploy a further £700mn across its wider portfolio over the next 10 years.
Ken Hunnisett, Head of Clean Heat at Triple Point, said, “It’s the strings you attach to public money that shape the market you end up with. The Green Heat Network Fund has always been about more than paying for pipes in particular places. It’s about building an industry that private capital will back on its own terms.
“Bradford shows that working brilliantly well: a £20m grant unlocking more than £55m of private investment, heat pumps replacing gas boilers at the university, college and courts, and a blueprint for success that the 1Energy team is now taking to other towns and cities.”
Bradford’s blueprint for more resilient AI infrastructure
As well as using warmth generated by heat pumps, the network is set to turn waste heat from an adjacent data centre into a resource for the city. Deep Green have secured planning permission to build a 5.6MW data centre next to 1Energy’s new Thornton Road Energy Centre, with plans developed to capture emitted heat and use that to warm Bradford’s buildings.
Repurposing heat can reduce data centre cooling requirements, which account for up to a third of data centres’ energy consumption and provide an additional revenue stream for them – bolstering their commercial resilience. It also cuts the amount of heat released into the local area, an increasingly important issue for the communities they are in.
The bottom-up heat revolution
Through the network, 1Energy is supporting young people across Bradford with careers in energy. Alongside the University of Bradford and Bradford College, the company has delivered masterclasses, facilitated energy centre visits, placements and apprenticeships – enabling them to continue playing an important role in a project they helped unlock.
Join the UK’s leading, innovative organisations and explore a connection to one of 1Energy’s heat networks at 1energy.uk/networks.
