Cutting edge heating and cooling system at the University of Bristol's new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus academic building to be connected to Vattenfall’s Bristol heat network

Vattenfall, one of Europe’s leading providers of low carbon heating and cooling, is connecting the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC) Academic Building to its city-scale heat network. Excess heat captured from the University’s computer servers and cooling system will be able to be reused, helping to provide heating and hot water in the future for the campus as well as homes and businesses in the local area.

The University’s Academic Building design uses heat pump technology to enable heat to be sent into the district heat network, rather than being wasted.

This innovative approach one of the first in the UK, is only achievable by a cooperation between the building and district heat network, demonstrating both Vattenfall’s and the University of Bristol’s commitment to low carbon solutions. 

The project showcases the potential of heat networks to capture, reuse and recycle heat that already exists, reducing energy demand and driving down carbon emissions. It also demonstrates the power of partnership and collaboration between the University of Bristol, Bristol City Council, Bristol City Leap, and Vattenfall.  

The connection to the heat network paves the way for future collaborations, including potential projects with the University in Clifton. Vattenfall will soon be launching a feasibility study looking at options for connecting the University of Bristol’s main Clifton campus.

Dom Barton, Director of Bristol Heat Networks at Vattenfall, said: 

“We’re delighted to be working with the University of Bristol to provide heating, hot water and cooling to the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. This project shows how versatile and innovative heat networks are, recycling waste heat from a range of different sources like computer servers and using it in the University campus as well as in the citywide heat network.”

Stephen Runicles, interim Temple Quarter Project Director, said: 

“We are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and the city-wide heat network offered an opportunity for lower carbon heat energy that is commercially viable long term. Our approach in the technical design has been to effectively use, capture and reuse heat energy in the building, and to incorporate the capability to export waste heat to the city-wide network in the future as it matures. It has been a long journey for our first connection, and we look forward to a successful long-term relationship.”

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Photo credit: Rosscam