The project

The gas-fired Heygate Energy Centre is the four-storey district heating hub of a scheduled 15-year residential redevelopment in the Elephant & Castle area of Southwark. This is one of the largest community projects of its type ever initiated, with a budget of £1.5 billion. Eventually, there will be nearly 3,000 new homes, of which at least 25% will be social housing, plus a range of shops and restaurants, covering 25 acres. Energy company E.ON has led the design strategy to develop low-cost heat networks, achieve demanding carbon emission targets and ensure long-term viability. One aim is to make the Elephant & Castle area entirely climate positive by 2025.

Our design 

Flue systems were required for a dozen gas-fired boilers and two combined heat and power units, located over two floors of the building. On the ground floor, there was a connection to condensing boilers using a 300 mm diameter twin-wall product rising into the main 550 mm header systems, which run horizontally to a 45-degree swept base tee and drain. First-floor fixings were broadly similar. Connections to the CHP units involved a 500 mm diameter twin-wall product rising to a 90-degree elbow, running horizontally to 45-degree elbows and 45-degree swept base tees. Manufacture and installation were in accordance with the ISO 9001:2008 Quality System.

Comments

“Installation had some tortuous aspects, but we are used to that. There were complexities, but we’re used to that, too. Everything was completed on schedule and to the full satisfaction of our mechanical engineering client, Rotary. We enjoyed being part of this important project, which I understand has been endorsed by former American president Bill Clinton as part of his climate change foundation.” Gregg Tomlinson, Contracts Engineer, A1 Flue Systems

Facts at a glance

Client name: Rotary Building Services

Location: London

Project value: £118,000

Time to complete: 20 weeks