District Heat Network

About

In 2015, Stoke-on-Trent City Council was successful in securing £19.75m of funding to help to deliver the infrastructure for a low carbon District Heat Network (DHN).   A DHN is a system of underground pipes that will deliver heat via hot water between an energy centre and the buildings connected to the network.   The scheme will harness heat from low carbon sources such as deep geothermal energy, Energy from Waste (EfW) which will be transferred through a system of heat exchangers into the network.  The heat energy from the hot water circulating in the network will be delivered to customers through heat exchangers in their premises.

Initially the heat energy will be supplied to larger commercial and public sector premises however over time the aim is to connect to a wider variety of premises including blocks of flats and clusters of houses across the city.

Benefits to customers will include:
• No need for traditional boiler(s).
• More efficient energy supply in a directly useable form.
• Reduction on carbon tax.
• Minimal maintenance of the system once installed.
• No risk of carbon monoxide.

The construction of the DHN has started in 2017 autumn and is scheduled to complete around 2021.