Vital Energi has seen many changes over the last 30 years and continues to lead the way by implementing the latest technologies for our customers. Our agile approach, experience and ability allows us to design flexible, resilient and future-proofed energy schemes across cities in the UK.
We have worked with Nottingham City Council on their district heating network since 1989. The most recent scope of works saw us perform alarm reconfiguration and joint replacements to extend the lifespan of the scheme.
We have been contributing to the Sheffield City District Heating network for over 30 year and have undertaken many substantial projects throughout this time. Our designers and engineers have designed and installed 44km of district heating on the project which serves 2,800 homes and 140 public and private organisations.
We worked with Portsmouth City Council to improve the energy solution at Charles Dickens Estate as part of their plan to upgrade their housing stock. We relocated the energy centre, creating a more efficient CHP solution which would serve 515 dwellings and extended the district heating system. We continue to provide operations and maintenance for the project today.
The existing energy system had reached the end of its design life so Midlothian Council appointed us to deliver a CHP-powered energy centre and 3.5km of district heating network to serve 250 properties. The project marked one of the UK’s first community energy investments.
Heathrow airport's Terminal 5 project provided an opportunity for BAA to introduce new standards in environmental sustainability. We were appointed to design, supply, install and commission the energy solution, installing a 2.5km trench with 5km of district heating pipe work connecting the existing World Cargo CHP Energy Centre to supply the new Terminal 5 with heat and power.
We designed and installed a state-of-the-art Combined Cooling, Heating & Power (CHP) solution for the iconic Natural History Museum. The solution generated £11 million in financial savings and over 15,000 tonnes of carbon reduction during the first 10 years of operation.
MediaCityUK is Europe’s first purpose built creative and media development and has become the new home of the BBC. We were commissioned to deliver a complete low-carbon, trigeneration energy centre and district heating network for the £650m development.
MediaCityUK
The award-winning King’s Cross Development stands as one of the UK’s best examples of sustainable development. We created an energy solution which evolved alongside the development which saw a temporary solution replaced by the permanent energy centre which was future proofed for further expansion. We then created the cooling solution for the development which converts heat from the energy centre in warm months. The solution now delvers 100% of the heat and hot water and 80% of the electricity for the 67-acre development
King’s Cross Energy Infrastructure ProjectRenewable energy is at the heart of the University of York’s energy strategy. We helped the university lower their energy costs and CO2 emissions with the installation of a low carbon biomass and CHP-fuelled community heating system to provide low carbon heat and hot water.
The University of York
Supported Glasgow’s ambition to make the 2014 Commonwealth Games the greenest games ever. We provided a bespoke low carbon community heating system featuring an energy centre and 28km buried network of pre-insulated pipes, making a strong contribution to the overall target of cutting carbon emissions by 95%.
Cube Housing Association joined forces with Scottish Gas, Scottish & Southern Energy and Vital Energi to deliver a £27 million project designed to improve the energy efficiency of 1900 homes. We retrofitted a low carbon energy scheme and reduced fuel poverty to ensure that their housing stock complied with the decent homes standard.
The hospital had a vision to reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption, whilst improving their site resilience to take the project forward 15 years. With an extensive maintenance backlog, outdated lighting system and BEMS, we implemented a range of energy efficiency measures and installed an optimised Combined Heat & Power (CHP) energy system saving 3,000 tonnes of carbon and £850,000 financial savings per year.
A district heating link was established between existing individual communal heating networks to create a single system. We installed 581m of underground district heating pipe connecting the existing networks to a new communal energy centre which was retrofitted into an under-used car park. The Somers Town scheme will help Camden Council reach their carbon emissions reduction targets of 40% by 2020.
Camden Council Somers Town Decentralised Energy Network
After The University of Liverpool purchased Royal Liverpool Infirmary we converted the Grade II listed former mortuary into a 21st Century energy centre. The project saw us create a free-standing steel framework to take the weight of the plant, an innovative roof top louvre for ventilation and completely renovate the formerly derelict building.
University of Liverpool - CHPABP appointed Vital as design consultants to work alongside Hilson Moran, AKT II and world-renowned architects, Farrells as part of the Professional Design Team to devise an energy strategy in coordination with the rest of the site development. We began working on the RIBA stage 2 design in September 2015 and in 2017 we were awarded the full design and build contract for the construction of the temporary energy centre.
With the ambition of becoming the first true zero carbon community in the UK we designed and delivered the entire energy solution which included CHP energy centre, metering solution, heat interface units and 2.4km of district heating pipework. We then continued to expand the network and deliver house entry pipework as the build progressed.
We have worked with Royal Arsenal Riverside for over 10 years and were commissioned to design, supply and install a low carbon generation solution to serve properties within the 76 acre development in one of London's leading boroughs for carbon reduction, Greenwich. The Royal Arsenal development is a key project under the London Plan and is delivered by Berkeley Homes with SSE acting as the Energy Services Company (ESCo).
The project involved removing the 30 and 40-year-old boilers in the Churchill and John Radcliffe Hospitals and replacing them with a CHP engine, new combi boilers, associated upgrades and the replacement of 6,407 light fittings. The Churchill and John Radcliffe Hospitals, which now share the energy centre at John Radcliffe Hospital, are connected via a 2.2km energy link which includes high voltage cabling, district heating pipework and communications cabling. We provided an energy performance contract which guarantees savings of £463k per annum and carbon savings of 10,000 per year over the 20-year contract.
As part of their drive to become carbon neutral for energy The University of St Andrews worked towards creating a £25 million state-of-the-art biomass system and district heating network delivering up to 6,000 tonnes of carbon reduction per year. The project saw the creation of one of the largest biomass energy centres in the Higher Education sector and remains one of the most significant biomass district heating schemes in Scotland. We continue to work with the University to deliver energy conservation measures as part of a £3.75m NDEE contract.
As part of the planned evolution of the King's Cross energy centre, we were chosen to develop, deliver and operate the cooling energy centre and network. This involved taking waste heat from the CHP’s in the existing energy centre during the warmer summer months and converting it into cooling for the surrounding buildings via an absorption chiller.
The University created their new £330m Waterside Campus. We were invited to install and deliver the biomass energy centre which proved to be one of our most architecturally striking projects, including a 26m high flue complete with 12m LED display screen. We also installed the 1.6km of district heating pipework to distribute the low temperature hot water.
The University of Northampton
The Trust wanted to update its ageing energy infrastructure and put out a tender through the Carbon & Energy Fund. We were appointed and delivered a comprehensive refresh of the energy centre including the installation of a 2.5MWe CHP engine and a range of energy conservation measures such as upgrades to the lighting and Building Energy Management system. Overall the works will save the trust £1.9m per annum in energy costs and 6,500 tonnes of carbon per year .
The Atlas Building comprises 38 storeys of residential property and 9 storeys of office space. The Atlas Building is the tallest residential building in London’s Tech City standing at 152m high. We were appointed by Mace to provide the entire design and build services for the heating and cooling solution.
One of London’s most iconic landmarks supplied power to the capital from the 1930s until its decommissioning in 1983. It is now at the heart of one of central London’s largest, most visionary and eagerly anticipated new developments. We have been working with the developers since 2014 as lead designers to create a solution that would provide heating, cooling and electricity for the entire Battersea Power Station site, including Circus West Village.
Delivering a district heating solution that will link two developments in Enfield to a permanent district heating system known as the Ponders End Heat Network, which in the longer term will connect to the larger Meridian Water Heat Network.
Partnered with Leeds City Council to develop one of the largest district heating networks in the UK connecting 1,983 properties and businesses to an efficient district heating network. Helping the council to achieve its ambitions to improve air quality in Leeds and reduce the City’s carbon emissions, whilst also providing their council tenants with more reliable and lower cost heating.
Making a significant contribution to cutting carbon in Scotland, the Glenrothes Energy Network is a public private partnership between Scottish Government, Fife Council and RWE. Funded by the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Project (LCITP), the scheme utilises steam generated as a by-product of electrical generation at the Markinch Biomass CHP Plant to deliver low-carbon heat to houses, businesses and public sector buildings within the Glenrothes town centre.
Delivered a range of energy conservation measures for Dundee City Council through the Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency (NDEE) Framework. Our solution saw us install a range of measures such as improvements to lighting and cooling as well as installing energy generation technologies such as CHP and Solar PV. We also provided an Energy Performance Contract which guarantees minimum financial and carbon savings.
Dundee City Council NDEE
Scotland’s first major Water Source Heat Pump scheme will take heat from the River Clyde and pump it to customers through a system of buried district heating network. The scheme for the 23 hectare site will create 1,000 private homes, 200 rented homes, health centre, care home and commercial facilities.
Construction work is underway on Manchester’s £20m Civic Quarter Heat Network (CQHN). The network will generate low-carbon power, heat and hot water for the city, helping Manchester to reach its ambitions to be carbon-neutral, climate resilient and zero waste by 2038 and will add the iconic Tower Of Light chimney to Manchester’s skyline. It will initially serve six major council buildings, with the potential to grow and connect further buildings across the city centre in the future.
Currently delivering the Mersey Heat network to provide heat for up to 9,000 homes and 4m sq ft of commercial space at Liverpool Waters. The district heating network has been designed to evolve alongside Peel L&P’s £5.5bn Liverpool Waters development and will begin with a temporary energy centre to serve the initial phases. As the energy demand increases, the temporary energy centre will be replaced with a permanent energy centre which will deliver low carbon heat and hot water to the growing community.
Reached a £4 million agreement with AMP Clean Energy to design and build five Urban Reserve gas-fired electrical generator peaking plants across the UK with a total of 17MW of power with further projects planned. Peaking plants generate flexible electricity using gas fired gensets to provide extra resilience and capacity to the local electricity grid, and to support the local District Network Operators in achieving their targets.
Entered into a 15 year partnership to deliver a turnkey energy solution for the site and guarantee financial and carbon savings. As the ESCo energy partner, we provided the finance for the £6.9 million project which will eventually fund itself through the guaranteed savings.
Vital secured the contract to supply, install and commission the energy centre and primary distribution for St William Homes LLP development at Battersea, continuing our long-standing relationship with developers, Berkeley
The Atlas Building is the tallest residential building in London’s Tech City standing at 152m high. Vital Energi were called upon by Mace, the main contractor, to provide the entire design and build services for the heating and cooling solution for 38 storeys of residential property and 9 storeys of office space.
Atlas BuildingVital secured the contract to supply, install and commission the energy centre and primary distribution for St William Homes LLP development at Battersea, continuing our long-standing relationship with developers, Berkeley.
Vital Energi currently sits on 24 separate frameworks which range from energy generation through to energy conservation measures. This means we are ideally placed to contribute to the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions and enable clients to benefit from speedy procurement and risk mitigation, whilst maintaining quality standards.
Procure a Project
As the UK continues to decarbonise Vital continues its central role in delivery and management, including our first Energy from Waste Plant, Drakelow.
Waste to Heat RecoveryIn a move that will cement our reputation as a market leader in delivering water source heat pump projects we have been chosen to design, construct and operate the new WSHP heat network in Southwark. This will become the primary heat source for the networks on Consort, Newington and Wyndham housing estates.
WSHP Southwark
We have been awarded the contract to deliver ThamesWey Energy’s Woking Power Station project which will create a state-of-the-art Combined Heat & Power energy centre providing low-carbon heating and power to local businesses and residents.
Low-Carbon Revolution Set to Arrive in Woking
