Hackney signs Vital Energi for heat pump network serving 1,486 homes at Colville and Britannia

Hackney Council has signed a contract with Vital Energi to build and operate an underground heat network using large air source heat pumps to supply 1,486 new and existing homes across the Colville and Britannia developments, with the first connections expected in early 2028.

The network is a priority action in the council's new four-year Climate Implementation Plan, launched on 5 November, which sets out how the borough will cut emissions and protect residents from the effects of climate change.

According to the council, the network will also serve Britannia Leisure Centre, City of London Academy Shoreditch Park and Shoreditch Park Primary.

David Wright, Regional Engineering Director at Vital Energi, said: "We're proud to be working with Hackney Council to deliver a heat network that will bring lower-carbon heating to homes, schools and community facilities across the borough."

The network

The council said the scheme will save more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over 40 years compared with the earlier design, which was based on combined heat and power (CHP) and gas boilers.

Gas boilers will remain available to provide top-up heat when needed. The council said consumer heating charges will be protected so they are no higher than the cost of running conventional individual gas boilers.

The energy centre is being built as part of the Colville Estate regeneration, which the council said is delivering more than 1,000 new homes in Hoxton. The council's Colville Estate page says the original 2012 masterplan was for 925 homes over seven phases.

The energy centre sits within phase 2C of the regeneration, which Kier Construction is building. That phase comprises 93 mixed-tenure homes over two plots, and the council expects residents to move in during 2027.

The Britannia project, which the council delivers through its in-house, not-for-profit development approach, includes City of London Academy Shoreditch Park, with 1,140 school places for students aged 11 to 18. Its final phase of homes breaks down as follows, according to the council's project page.

Tenure	Homes
Social rent	51
Shared ownership	30
Outright sale	290

Vital Energi's record in the borough

Vital Energi has worked with Hackney before. The company's own project page says it delivered the Shoreditch Heat Network, which went live in December 2012 and initially served 464 properties across three estates. That scheme was built around a CHP engine and was designed to save 1,200 tonnes of CO2 a year.

The wider plan

The heat network is one of more than 300 actions in the Climate Implementation Plan, which covers five areas: helping residents and the borough adapt to climate change, improving the energy efficiency of buildings, making transport more sustainable, protecting natural habitats, and creating green jobs and skills.

Cllr Jacob Cable, Cabinet Member for Climate, Clean Air, Energy and Transport, said: "The next four years are crucial for preparing our residents, buildings, neighbourhoods and streets for these challenges."

He said the climate emergency is already changing life in Hackney, from homes that become dangerously hot in summer to disruption caused by flooding, and cited the planning and infrastructure for the Colville heat network as an example of the council using the tools available to it.

Hackney declared a climate emergency in 2019. The council has committed to net zero emissions across its own functions by 2040, with an interim target of a 45% reduction in emissions against 2010 levels by 2030, and its energy services company Hackney Light and Power supports the goal of a net zero carbon borough by 2040.

The council's Cabinet adopted a borough-wide Climate Action Plan in May 2023. At the time, Cllr Mete Coban MBE, then Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said the council only has direct control over about 5% of the borough's emissions.

The previous implementation plan, announced in September 2023, committed £61m over three years to 2026 to reducing the council's climate impact. The new plan runs from 2026 to 2030, with the first homes due to connect to the Colville network in early 2028.