Brunel Street Works, London

Location: Canning Town, London
Project Scope: District Heating Network Efficiency Improvement for HNTAS & Ofgem readiness

Brunel Street Works is a major mixed-use development in Canning Town, comprising 977 new homes, and a Premier Inn hotel. The scheme operates a large district heating network intended to provide reliable, low-carbon energy across the development.

Following handover, the system was underperforming, with significant efficiency issues that threatened both operational viability and customer affordability. Aidan Hickey and Alan Wyper were engaged to review and overhaul the network, utilising HNES funding so that the ESCo was financially viable in the short and long term.

Our Role:

·       Identified HNES funding to fund the initial audit and the improvements thereafter.

·       Conducted a full technical and commercial assessment of the system.

·       Identified causes of low network efficiency, including hydraulic imbalances and poor plantroom performance.

·       Implemented improvements to system balancing, controls, and operational procedures.

·       Reviewed tariff structures to ensure fair cost recovery aligned with improved system performance.

·       Enrolled with the Heat Trust to be regulatory compliant ahead of time.

Outcome:

·       Substantial improvement in network efficiency, over 30% gains, significantly reducing losses.

·       Creation of a financially viable operational model, lifting the company out of debt and becoming profitable for the first time

·       Reduction in customer tariffs, delivering direct benefit to residents and strengthening trust in the ESCo model.

·       Investment into the improvements was recovered in the first 6 months due to severely reduced gas costs during the energy crisis.

This project demonstrates Hestia’s teams’ capability to transform underperforming networks into resilient, compliant, and financially sustainable operations, improving outcomes for both operators and end users.