Sheffield boasts one of the oldest District Heating Networks in the UK and has been established for over 25 years. Vital Energi has been at the forefront of installing these networks which continue to deliver reliable, affordable heating decades after their installation.
Sheffield boasts one of the oldest District Heating Networks in the UK and has been established for over 25 years. Vital Energi has been at the forefront of installing these networks which continue to deliver reliable, affordable heating decades after their installation.
The original joint venture between Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Heat and Power Ltd (the private sector) was established in 1987. The aim was to provide a wide range of customers with reliable and cost effective energy from a low carbon energy source that is generated locally.
The focal point of the scheme is the incinerator which burns the city’s refuse, situated at Bernard Road. The incinerator burns 120,000 tonnes of municipal waste each year, producing up to 60MW of thermal energy and up to 19 MW of electrical energy. The steam that is created from burning the waste is converted to high temperature hot water for the community energy network whilst also producing electricity for sale to the National Grid, enough to power up to 19,000 homes. Annually, over 21,000 tonnes of CO2 is prevented from being released.
Over the last 22 years Vital Energi’s team of engineers have installed a network of more than 44km of specialist pre-insulated pipework beneath the streets of Sheffield’s City Centre and beyond. The network has supplied heat to over 2,800 homes and 140 public and private buildings including some of the city’s most prestigious landmark buildings such as The Lyceum Theatre, Millennium Galleries, Crucible, Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield City Hall and many university buildings.
The client realised the importance of specifying the best jointing system and consequently insist on the installation of the “Band Muff” fusion welded joint system. This technology is only available in the UK by Vital Energi and extends the life span of the pipework from 20 years to 50 years. Vital Energi first installed the joint in 1989 on the material spine main that links the city with the Bernard Road waste incinerator and there has not been one single maintenance issue since. The entire installed district heating network is monitored by a network of sophisticated alarm panels located in plant rooms throughout the city.
