Heat pumps in Bristol: heat networks in the centre, heat pumps elsewhere

According to the government's Bristol heat network zone opportunity report, the city has operational networks in Redcliffe, Old Market and Bedminster, with five more in active development. Vattenfall operates Bristol Heat Networks as part of Bristol City Leap, the council's energy partnership, serving the equivalent of almost 6,000 homes across four network areas including Temple.

The report identified five heat network zones, four of them strategic, mostly in and around the city centre, with a smaller zone at Knowle. Hospitals, university buildings and offices make up the largest demands. The report's authors warn that the data is provisional.

Source: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Bristol's zones are aimed at the buildings that zoning can compel: new developments, large non-domestic buildings such as hospitals and offices, and communally heated blocks. A house with its own boiler is not one of them. If you own a house in Bishopston, Southville or Fishponds, a heat pump remains your decision and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme applies as usual.

If you rent or own a flat in a central block with communal heating, or are buying a new-build flat near Temple Meads or the Harbourside, the building may already be connected to a network or be planned for connection. Ask the managing agent or developer before commissioning anything.

Source: gov.uk

Bristol's steep streets, Georgian and Victorian terraces and conservation areas shape where an outdoor unit can go. In England, a unit on a house is usually permitted development when it meets the size limit and the MCS 020a planning standard. In a conservation area it must not be installed on a wall or roof facing a road, and listed buildings need consent. Rear gardens that are a storey below the front door, narrow side passages and shared walls all affect noise and access.

Older solid-walled houses may need bigger radiators or some insulation for a heat pump to run efficiently. The installer's room-by-room heat loss calculation is where that shows up.

• is the house in a conservation area or listed
• outdoor unit position that avoids road-facing walls where required
• noise assessment for the nearest neighbour
• space for a hot water cylinder in a house that had a combi
• radiators to change after the heat loss calculation

Source: planningportal.co.uk

Houses outside the network areas generally qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme when an owner replaces a gas or oil boiler. Fill in the property details and we show them, minus your name and number, to installers working in Bristol and the surrounding area. Only one can take the job on; our email introduces it to you before it is given your details. You pay nothing.