The £70m Kingston Heights mixed used development includes 56 affordable homes, 81 luxury apartments and a 142 bedroom hotel on the site of a former power station in Kingston upon Thames.
Just 200 metres from the river bank, its 2.3MW community heating system draws up to 13 million litres of water each day through high efficiency heat exchangers. The low grade heat is carried to a plant room in the building via a closed loop where Mitsubishi Ecodan heat pumps delivers it as usable heat to meet all heating and hot water demands in the complex.
Project developers NHP Leisure Developments believe the system will save approximately 500 tonnes of carbon emissions per year and reduce heating bills by 18 percent compared to installing gas boilers in each apartment.
“I am interested in lowering people’s gas and electricity bills and carbon emissions. This is how Kingston Heights fits into the bigger picture,” said energy secretary and local MP Ed Davey.
“KingstonHeights is so important because the lessons that have been learned here are applicable elsewhere and are lessons the government needs to learn.
“I am also excited by what the team has achieved here because it has put Kingston on the map for a leading technology. Water source heat pumps need to be in the centre of our thinking. Many of our towns are built next to rivers and the potential for this technology to tackle climate change is huge.”