Switch2 secures funding for heat network decarbonisation plan

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has awarded funding through a support agreement with Switch2 Energy to develop a decarbonisation scheme for the Royal Arsenal heat network in Woolwich, a district in southeast London, England.

Switch2, which operates Berkeley Homes’ Royal Arsenal residential heat network, will develop a detailed decarbonisation retrofit plan, which will include the replacement of existing gas boilers with air source heat pumps.

This could provide the 755 homes connected to the heat network with heating and hot water from a renewable source. The aim is also to improve network efficiency and reliability, while delivering CO2 savings of up to 300 tonnes per year.

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Switch2 will simulate various design and phased development options to keep heat tariffs affordable for residents, while maximising the carbon savings of switching from gas to renewable heat pumps.

Richard Harrison, CEO of Switch2 Energy said: “Heat Networks are a proven and cost-effective method of decarbonising UK heating and we are leading the way in utilising innovative energy technologies and data optimisation to raise efficiency and sustainability performance. We’re proud to contribute to London’s visionary plan to become a zero-carbon city by 2030.”

LEA funding

The funding for the project comes from the Mayor’s Local Energy Accelerator (LEA) programme, which is 50% funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The LEA is a £6 million ($7.4 million) programme providing expertise and support to organisations to develop clean and locally generated energy projects.

Projects will include district energy networks that use renewable heat sources (including river water and waste heat from London Underground), and energy technologies such as heat pumps, solar panels, batteries and smart electric vehicle (EV) charging to transform the way London generates, supplies and uses clean local energy in buildings and transport.

LEA focuses on helping projects that are in their final stages and would benefit from support to deliver carbon savings.

Switch2‘s funding allocation also forms part of the Mayor’s ambition to make London a zero-carbon city by 2030.

The aim is to deliver annual savings of 20,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum and install 3MW of renewable energy capacity by summer 2023.