“Urban density creates an opportunity”, Qvantum says in new report

Manufacturer Qvantum UK has published a new report The Heat Sharing City, which brings together stakeholders in housing, engineering and energy to consider better use of heat in urban areas.

The company said: “Urban areas need a different approach to low-carbon heating. Space is limited, noise matters, grid capacity is under pressure, and heating and cooling demand often overlap across buildings. But that same density creates an opportunity.”

The report notes that cities should not simply be viewed as consumers of heat, but heat producers too –  offices, supermarkets, data centres and transport infrastructure all reject heat that could potentially be recovered and reused.

The Heat Sharing City brings together perspectives from across the housing, engineering and heat sectors to explore how connected heat pumps, ambient loops and intelligent controls could help turn this energy into a shared urban resource.

• The challenge: Single boiler replacement is only the first step Replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump can cut emissions at an individual building level. But it doesn’t recover heat from neighbouring buildings, balance heating, and cooling demand, or address wider system peaks. The report explores why the transition needs to move beyond individual technologies towards connected heat networks.
• The enabling layer: Connectivity makes shared heat possible Without visibility and control, heat pumps remain individual pieces of equipment. With connectivity, they can become part of a managed system that can identify faults earlier, manage demand and adapt over time. The report considers why connectivity should be part of the brief from day one, rather than added later.
• The opportunity: Shared heat in new build and retrofit Ambient loops can allow buildings requiring heat to draw energy from the network while buildings requiring cooling reject energy back into it. The report explores the opportunity across new developments, existing estates and older heat networks, with a focus on long-term system performance.
• Delivery: From opportunity to implementation A heat-sharing network should be considered a piece of urban infrastructure, rather than simply a larger heating system. The report sets out a six-step route from opportunity mapping through to detailed design, alongside the ownership and operational considerations associated with shared infrastructure.

The report will be launched on the 25th of November at London Build, and you can regsiter to get a copy of the Heat Sharing City report by here.

Talk to the Qvantum UK team about your next project on Stand E190

Qvantum’s UK managing director Phil Ord and Helen Carlström Head of R&D will be joined by industry expets to discuss the findings of the report and what it means for the UK housing stock in a session called "The Heat Sharing City: Rethinking How We Heat UK Homes", taking place at 1pm on 25th November on the UK Housing Stage.