The Department was tasked with the preparation of the map by energy secretary Ed Davey MP, when he formally switched on the award-winning Kingston Heights Open Water Heat Pump community heating system in October last year.
The ‘Water Source Heat Map’ produced by DECC is the result of a high level assessment of around 40 urban rivers with the greatest potential for water source heat pump deployment. The map, published on 11 August 2014 does this by identifying areas of high heat demand, adjacent to rivers with sufficiently high flow rates. It also highlights locations sensitive to environmental factors.
“I always knew that what we were doing in Kingston could be easily replicated and I was delighted when the Secretary of State and his officers at DECC decided to map out the potential for the country,” said Mike Spenser-Morris, managing director of NHP Leisure Developments and the visionary behind the scheme.
John Kellett, general manager for Mitsubishi Electric’s Heating Systems, added: “This map helps raise awareness of the untapped potential for renewable heat that already runs through many of our communities.”
Further details on the map, including the context and rationale behind it can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-source-heat-map.