With Energetik, Vital Energi are providing 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.
Energetik is the London Borough of Enfield’s energy company. Energetik owns and manages a number of heat networks that provide heat and hot water to a series of large developments across Enfield. Energetik’s long term decarbonisation plan is to link all its heat networks to a new Energy Recovery Facility at Edmonton that will, as a result, profoundly reduce the amount of carbon and NOx released into the atmosphere as a result of reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
Two new build developments were provided with district heating at Ponders End in 2017 and are currently in construction with a number of phases already complete: The Electric Quarter by developers Lovell consisting of 167 properties in Ponders End, and the Elements development in Alma by Countryside Properties comprising of an eventual 1,250 properties, both presently operating on temporary energy supplies. With Energetik, Vital Energi are providing a district heating solution that will link the two developments 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.
To connect the two developments to a single energy centre at the Elements development via a communal district heating network. Vital Energi are responsible for the build of the energy centre at the Elements development as well as the network extension to Electric Quarter.
The network has been futureproofed to cater for connections to further developments by laying pipe to the perimeters of the two developments and capping the ends to allow for easy expansion, and in the long term connection to the Meridian Water Heat Network.
By creating one heat network with a single energy centre, capital expenditure has been reduced due to only purchasing one set of energy centre equipment and the associated costs through construction. Likewise, this solution reduces future operation and maintenance costs and produces greater energy efficiencies.
The two developments were scheduled to be completed at different times, the first being The Electric Quarter which would need heat and hot water first. Vital Energi provided a temporary plant room to serve these first properties until construction of the district heating link and main energy centre had been completed at the Elements. This resolved the problem with its programme being ahead of the main energy centre at the Elements and allowed The Electric Quarter to be designed to connect to a district heating network.