09 March 2015
Bristol’s major employers sign up to a more energy efficient future
Bristol City Council, the University of Bristol and University
Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) are set to
commit themselves to a more energy efficient future by signing a
Memorandum of Understanding to work together on a district energy
network.
The signing is due to take place tomorrow, Thursday March 5,
between the Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson, Professor Guy Orpen,
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol and John Savage
CBE, Chairman of UH Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.
The district energynetwork will supply heat and power to a range
of buildings through a network of underground pipes and cables
from a central energy centre. This is more efficient than sourcing
energy from localised boilers or electricity from the grid.
The University and Hospital network will be fuelle
d
by an efficient combined heat and power energy centre, which will
provide both organisations with lower carbon energy and cheaper
heating costs.
Mayor George Ferguson said: "I recently visited Copenhagen,
which is a previous European Green Capital winner and around 98 per
cent of the city's heat is supplied by a district energy network so
residents and businesses benefit.
"In Bristol we want to develop a similar but more modest network
to improve the city's energy infrastructure and reduce urban heat
waste. We're planning for the future and I'm delighted that we're
going to be working with two of the city's biggest organisations on
this initiative."
District energy is a versatile system and it's possible to
connect different heat and energy sources and expand the network to
reach new areas. The council is exploring the possibility of
connecting the hospital and university system to the council's
social housing flats on Dove Street in the longer term.
Professor Guy Orpen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: "The
University will sign the agreement as a mark of our commitment to
reducing our carbon emissions and moving towards a more energy
efficient future.
"We are working with the council and city partners on a number
of exciting initiatives taking place during Bristol's European
Green Capital year and we are looking forward to developing the
district energy plans together."
Trust Chairman John Savage added: "We're very pleased to be
involved in this scheme. It will allow us to build on our existing
green energy partnership with the council, which has already seen
some excellent progress.
"As a hospital trust, it's part of our role to help people be
healthier. Developing a district energy network will have clear
health benefits for those who are often hard-hit by fuel costs.
This, along with the fact that the new energy centre will have a
lower environmental impact than our current system, will help us
fulfil our commitment to be a good neighbour to those living and
working near our hospitals."
Plans for the network are being developed during Bristol's
European Green Capital Year and support the council's plans to
launch Bristol Energy, a municipal energy company, later this
summer.
Initial funding for the feasibility studies was provided by the
European Investment Bank under the European Local Energy Assistance
Programme (ELENA) and Bristol City Council Cabinet approved plans
to develop district energy networks in July 2014.
This is phase one of the district energy network with further
plans in the pipeline.
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