Executive summary
In 2012, Cube Housing Association joined forces with Scottish Gas, Scottish & Southern Energy and us to deliver a £27 million project designed to improve the energy efficiency of 1900 homes.
Wyndford Estate
Affordable low-carbon heat for social housing
Delivering a highly efficient district heating network and CHP powered energy centre, helping provide affordable, reliable heat and hot water to residents across the Wyndford Estate while giving tenants greater control over their energy use.
What we’ve achieved with this project
£14.5m
project value7,000
tonnes of carbon saved per year2.7km
district heating pipe installedProject overview
We helped to reduce fuel poverty in Scotland with its involvement in an innovative multi-million pound scheme to provide low-cost, energy efficient heating and hot water to up to 1900 tenants of Cube Housing Association on the Wyndford Estate in the Maryhill District of Glasgow.
In partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), we were responsible for the detailed design and delivery of a new community energy system – one of the largest of its kind in the UK. At the heart of the £27 million Wyndford scheme is a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine, three gas boilers and a thermal store, housed in a new energy centre at the edge of the estate, and a network of highly insulated district heating pipes all of which are being designed, supplied and installed by us.
Vital solution
We were selected by Cube Housing Association for our partnership approach and innovative proposal, which included individual pre-payment meters to help tenants better manage their energy consumption and reduce costs.
From the outset, we supported the project with operational appraisals and business case advice on energy revenues and funding opportunities. At the heart of the scheme is a bespoke energy centre featuring a 1,200kW CHP engine, a 120,000-litre thermal store and three 4,500kW gas boilers to provide peak load and backup heating.
Key benefits
Delivering a low-carbon decentralised energy solution
<strong>The electricity generated by the CHP engine will be exported to the local grid.</strong>
The CHP system takes away the need for each home to have an individual boiler making it an affordable and energy-efficient way of heating homes.
Creating an efficient district heating network
Around 2.7km of underground pipes distributes hot water from the energy centre to the individual buildings connected to the district heating scheme.
High quality pipework to reduce thermal losses
The main district heating pipes are constructed from steel and include an alarm leak-detection system.
They are highly insulated with a very low thermal loss over long distances ensuring minimal heat is wasted. Mild steel riser and lateral pipework connects the district heating mains to individual properties.
Installing the in-home heating system to create an optimised scheme
Heat is transferred from the incoming district heating pipework, via riser and lateral pipework into the individual properties internal heating system via a heat exchanger contained in our Hydraulic Interface Unit (HIU).
The hydraulic interface units provide instantaneous heat and hot water on demand and mean the householder has full control over their heating without the need to have a boiler of their own.
Helping Glasgow meet their carbon reduction targets
The Wyndford scheme is playing a huge role in helping the city of Glasgow meet its ambitious 30% carbon reduction target.
According to The Sustainable Glasgow report, district heating systems will be crucial in ensuring the city meets its targets.
Vital Energi provided a well-designed new community energy system using a state-of-the-art Combined Heat & Power (CHP) engine, three large gas boilers and a thermal store, all housed in a new Energy Centre at the edge of the estate. There is no question that without Vital Energi's help on this project it would not have been possible. The scheme had to be delivered to a very tight timescale in order to qualify for the grant. Vital Energi has been a joy to work with and all of the problems have been successfully overcome so that the scheme is on course for delivery within 10 months of it starting on-site.
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