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HEATING & PLUMBING
Stuart Wood, Product Manager for Heat Networks at Polypipe Building Products, explains how manufacturers can help developers opting to use district heating in housing developments.
20 January/February Professional Housebuilder & Property Developer
Heat networks
W
ith the legislation restricting the use of gas boilers in new-builds looming ever closer, interest in heat pumps and heat networks is rising as developers look for more energy-efficient solutions. In fact, the Clean Growth Strategy (published by the UK Government) predicts that heat networks will meet 20% of demand for heating and in buildings by 2050. Heat networks, also called district heating, can use any energy source which includes renewables and efficient heat pumps. Heat networks deliver hot water from a central source to individual properties through a network of insulated pipes. Although a heat network can cover an area the size of a large town it is more often used to heat small blocks of flats and small to medium-sized housing developments.
Despite the interest in – and demand for – heat networks growing exponentially, there are still many who are unfamiliar with the systems, the installation details or with some of the options available when planning a heat network. If you are looking for advice for a district heating project, talk to a trusted manufacturer who should be able to advise you on the ideal products and the key points that need to be covered during installation. At Polypipe Building Products we have single and double heating insulated pipe which is manufactured specifically for use with heat networks. Polypipe can advise on which preinsulated pipes are needed for each part of a project as well as any testing that needs to be done.
