The idea is as ingenious and has the potential to become a global role model: the Bunhill Heat and Power Network project in central London. By using waste heat from the London Underground network, 1,350 homes, a school and two leisure centers in Islington are now heated and supplied with hot water as part of the councils efforts to reduce carbon emissions and achieve CO2 neutrality by 2030.
The Bunhill 2 Energy Centre now connects an additional 550 homes and a primary school to the existing Bunhill Heat and Power district heating network, launched by the Islington Council in 2012. The heating costs for residents connected to the network will be cut by 10%, which themselves cost around half as much as standalone systems for heating individual homes. The new system is a win-win for the environment and for the residents of Islington and aligns with the councils aim to end fuel poverty.
The heating system is particularly environmentally friendly as it reuses heat that would otherwise be wasted. Supplying the connected households and public facilities with the upgraded waste heat will help to reduce CO2 emissions in the Islington Borough by around 500 tons per year.