Vital Energi have been awarded the next phase of work on the King’s Cross development following on from the community heating network that Vital Energi is currently installing. Impressed with Vital Energi’s commitment to building strategic partnerships and ability to meet the specific requirements of such a development, The King’s Cross Limited Partnership awarded Vital Energi the Modular Heat Installation contract.

The scheme is being developed by the King’s Cross Limited Partnership which is made up of Argent, London and Continental Railways Limited (LCR) and DHL Supply Chain which means that the development can be owned and managed as a whole. The Kings Cross development is an 8 million sq ft mixed use scheme that will consist of 25 new office buildings, 20 new streets, 10 new major public buildings, the restoration and refurbishment of 20 historic buildings and structures and up to 2,000 homes and serviced apartments.

Around 2,000 metres of pre-insulated pipe is currently being installed by Vital Energi which will run along the Regent Canal bridge and connect the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) fuelled energy centre to the University of the Arts London Campus. Vital Energi is installing DN300 pre-insulated steel pipework along with Band Muff Fusion Welding joint systems which is only available from Vital Energi in the UK. The community heat network will significantly reduce heat losses due to the superior insulation of the pipe and the exclusive joint system will increase the pipes life span from 30 to 50 years therefore lowering maintenance costs.

The new contract involves the design, supply and installation of a containerised temporary gas fired boiler which will be installed into its own purpose built temporary boiler house. It will provide heat to the University of the Arts London campus and after two years will be relocated in the energy centre. Vital Energi’s flexible solution has allowed the temporary boiler to be transportable, have the ability to meet a change in demand and will also reduce installation costs for the client.

Vital Energi are also installing a 2,000kw Heat Exchange Substation (HESS) which will act as an interface between the primary and secondary pipe networks and supply energy directly to the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system in the University Arts London Building. Vital Energi have worked closely with the building designer and network operator to ensure that the HESS meets the buildings peak heat capacity but also operates very efficiently when heat demand is lower. The HESS will also include a Vital Energi heat meter which will allow meter readings to be read remotely via a radio signal.

Combining practical solutions with superior products and technologies has meant that Vital Energi is providing significant savings and a reduction in CO2 emissions. This will ensure that the King’s Cross development will meets its aim of cutting carbon emissions by 50% relevant to 2005 levels.