In September 2007 we produced our strategy for establishing a community heating network in Barking Town Centre which outlines how an integrated community heating network can be established within the town centre over the next 10 years.
It specifies the need for technical consistency across all new developments in the town centre so that in five to seven years they can be linked together, and use the waste heat from Barking Power Station.
All developers are required to install a central Energy Centre which supplies heat (and electricity if a local combined heat and power network is installed) to all units within the development. The Energy Centre must provide available space for a future heat exchanger that will interface with the town centre heating network.
The study also concludes that the business case for financing and constructing a town centre heat network is extremely positive, and the network (and heat provision service) could be commercially operated whilst providing affordable heat to residents.
We are working with developers to ensure heating systems within developments are technically compatible with the wider community heating plans and have produced community heating technical specifications for developers which all developers are required to follow.