The UK’s First Fossil-Free Property – Heated by Cetetherm
The district heating substations at the heart of London´s prestigious Bankside Yards project.
At a Glance
✅ Bankside Yards in London, is the UK´s first ever entirely fossil fuel-free development.
✅ Comprising residential accommodation, business premises, retail units, and cultural spaces, the project spans eight buildings on 3.3 acres of public realm land.
✅ Delivering efficient, sustainable, controllable heating to the buildings was a must to enable the project to meet its fossil fuel-free goals.
✅ Cetetherm developed bespoke Maxi Select Special district heating substations to meet this need, operating with 100% renewable heat sources, and delivering market-beating efficiency and performance.
✅ The installation of the 42 substations, over 38 floors, was entrusted to specialists Price Building Services; the installed units are now in use in Building 2.
The Client
Price Building Services is a Croydon-based firm of experts in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Its team of experienced, professional engineers deliver mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) design and Installation for larger construction projects.
The Challenge
Bankside Yards represents a massive investment in the London Borough of Southwark, and its successful completion is very much in the public eye.
This is not only because of its status as the UK´s first ever totally fossil fuel-free property development, but also because it reinstates a pedestrian link to nearby centres of culture and tourism, including the Tate Gallery, that has been inaccessible for 150 years.
But for the project to live up to its sustainability credentials, the installed heating systems - usually the most energy-hungry service in any building - needed to draw on the latest innovations in renewable heat sources and energy-efficient delivery and control.
And although the project is ongoing at the time of writing, and not all the buildings or developments are complete, the initial deployment of these new heating systems was still a large and complex undertaking.
It called for a substation solution that would be readily available, proven, and reliable, with expert installers who would understand the heat dynamics involved and could install and commission the units to best effect, repeatedly, without costly delays.
This is where Cetetherm and Price Buildings Services stepped up to the mark.
The solution
Cetetherm´s Maxi Select Special district heating substation was developed specially for this project, to deliver, amongst many other benefits, controllability by PC and mobile apps, intellligent self-monitoring and regulation, and unrivalled heat efficiency.
Specialist installer Price Building Services was selected to plan and carry out the installation and commissioning of the units - over 38 floors.
These substations give building managers smart control over space heating. They can be installed in multiple locations across a development, village district town, or city, and are the market´s most energy-efficient, cost-effective, and low-emission substation solutions, thanks to their optimal heat recovery and low return temperatures.
But these units are also powerful enough to meet even the highest levels of demand.
Outcomes and Results
Cetetherm´s forward-thinking district heating and cooling substations and Price Building Service´s installation expertise delivered a fully functioning, energy-efficient district heating substation array on time, to specification, and within budget.
This approach to heating has enabled the development to uphold the sustainability standards at its heart, and continue on its trajectory towards the completion of a completely fossil-fuel free development.
The London Borough of Southwark´s district heating network has already reduced carbon emissions in the area by around 7,700 kilotons per year, and the Cetetherm substations at Bankside Yards will contribute significantly to that vital trend, creating a built environment that is at once sustainable, liveable, and comfortable.