£8m funded for city estate to get new heat network

A council has secured £8m from the government towards installing a new heat network on a city estate, which it says will reduce energy costs for over 1,000 residents.

All of the properties on the Heath Town Estate in Wolverhampton are supplied with heat via an "outdated" district heating network.

City of Wolverhampton Council said it was first installed around 55 years ago and has undergone minor upgrades since.

The estate's existing boiler house was designed to use coal and is "no longer fit for purpose", according to the council, with its concrete panelling "starting to fail".

Works on the new heat network are expected to start in April and last for two years.

The funding for the work has come from the government's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as part of its heat network efficiency scheme.

It will contribute towards the £19.5m works, with the remainder coming from the council's Housing Revenue Account programme.

The council said the new system would improve efficiency through reduced primary energy consumption, network return temperature and pumping energy costs, following upgrades to the network's control systems, replacement of pumps and pipework, and the installation of new heat interface units for residents.

Deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for city housing, councillor Steve Evans, said: "The council's transformative regeneration of Heath Town has seen extensive demolition of vacant buildings followed by 40 new council homes – the first developed on the estate since the 1960s.

"This is just the first phase of a total of more than 150 new council homes to be built on the estate over the coming years – and is in addition to existing residential blocks undergoing major improvements by Wolverhampton Homes. All new homes will be connected to the district heating system.

"It is important the right infrastructure is in place to support this rejuvenated neighbourhood and this funding from government will enable us to put in place a heat network that is fit for purpose and ultimately reduces energy costs for residents."

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