Data centre waste heat for home heating in UK

Waste heat from large computer data centres is to be used to supply heating and hot water to homes and businesses in a local community spanning three boroughs in west and northwest London.

The project, a first of its kind in the UK and one of five that has been awarded government funding for innovative heating developments, is aimed to connect 10,000 new homes and 250,000m2 of commercial space in the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and Ealing to a low-carbon energy source

The project is by the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, which was established in 2015 to regenerate the Old Oak area and will receive £36 million ($44.6 million) to construct the district heating network.

In all, the scheme is expected to deliver 95GWh of heat across five phases between 2026 and 2040.

Have you read?
Heat pumps mitigate record-level emissions for European buildings
Video: How Denmark became a European leader in district heating

“Recycling the huge amounts of wasted heat from our local data centres into heat and energy for local residents, a major hospital and other users is an exciting and innovative example of support for net zero ambitions,” Corporation chief executive David Lunts said.

“We are excited to be leading the way in developing low carbon infrastructure, supporting current and future generations of Londoners in Old Oak and Park Royal to live more sustainably.

The other four projects that have been awarded funding from the Green Heat Network Fund are as follows:

Lancaster University receives more than £21 million ($26 million) to fully decarbonise its campus with a low carbon energy centre using air source heat pumps, thermal storage and electrical infrastructure works.

The London borough of Brent receives nearly £5.2 million ($6.4 million) for the South Kilburn District Heat Network, supplying heat using air source heat pumps combined with back up gas boilers to 34 sites via a 2.79km pipe network connecting 2,900 customers.

Watford Community Housing, a not-for-profit housing association with approximately 5,700 homes, receives £1.8 million ($2.2 million) in funding to replace an old gas district heating system with ground source and air source heat pumps to provide heat to 252 apartments across six blocks.

A new heat pump housing estate in Chilton Woods, Suffolk receives £745,000 ($918,924) to enable provision of low carbon heating to almost 1,000 homes and a primary school along with a thermal store to enable any excess energy generated from the system to be fed into the wider national grid.