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FirstPort Property Management

Capital East II

Executive Summary

Residents at Capital East II faced additional costs for call-outs due to aged and inefficient heat interface units (HIUs), resulting in reliability issues on their legacy heating system. We submitted an evidence-based application to the UK Government’s Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) following a site-based surveys, data analysis and existing knowledge of the heat network, successfully securing £489,900 to replace 203 end-of-life heat interface units (HIUs) and optimise controls. This meant residents now have a reliable supply of heating and hot water, and the scheme benefited from a more efficient heat network with lower operating costs and projected annual savings of ~312,000 kWh.

  • funding
    £489,900 HNES funding secured
  • hi-us
    203 BESA-tested vTherm°e units installed
  • reducing-carbon (1)
    ~312,000 kWh Projected annual savings

The Challenge

Capital East II is a multiblock residential development near Royal Victoria Docks, London, managed by FirstPort. We have been in partnership with managing agent FirstPort since 2018, providing operation, maintenance and data collection. We have gained a thorough understanding of the network’s performance and resident experience.

Key challenges included ageing heat interface units (HIUs), unreliable temperatures, frequent reactive callouts, and increasing cost exposure typical of legacy communal systems.

The main issues residents faced were high costs and poor reliability associated with heat losses, and service instability, typical of legacy heat networks.

Our Solution

Capital East 4

We developed a data driven application for Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES), drawing on eight years of operational insights and documented reactive incidents. We mapped improvement measures against the HNES funding criteria, resident outcomes and network efficiency.

With Heat Network Efficiency Scheme (HNES) support, we have delivered a funded upgrade programme:

  • £489,900 capital grant secured (Round 7), targeted at priority measures with the strongest cost-to-benefit ratio for residents.
  • >203 residents benefit from more reliable heating and hot water, with a reduced number of outage-related callouts.
  • ~312,000 kWh/year energy savings projected, driven by better controls, lower return temperatures, and reduced plant cycling.
  • >203 residents benefit from more reliable heating and hot water, with a reduced number of outage-related callouts.

Why was HNES funding needed?

Many legacy networks perform inefficiently, which leads to poor resident outcomes. HNES provides capital and revenue grants to implement targeted heat network improvements and optimisation studies. The HNES scheme is running until 2028, is central to the expansion of the heat network market and supports preparation for upcoming regulatory technical standards as part of the Ofgem regulation and Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS).

Why Vital?

  • Operational insights since 2018 at Capital East II, provided evidence of resident outcomes and informed an actionable remediation plan.
  • A credible technology choice: The vTherm°e HIU, is independently tested under the BESA HIU regime, achieving market-leading low VWART (Volume Weight Average Return Temperatures) and high DHW output, key indicators of efficiency and reliability.
  • Optimisation controls: BMS weather compensation to match flow temperature to ambient conditions, helped to reduce heat losses, while improving temperature stability.
Solution detail

“We are delighted that Capital East Phase II has received funding through the HNES, and we will ensure the knowledge gained from our recent studies is utilised during the improvement of Capital East’s heat network. This investment will improve the efficiency of the heating system, which will directly benefit our residents. The HNES provides opportunities to release capital funding to meet the requirements of the Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme. Achieving this depends on working with reliable, focused partners. As we progress toward milestone two, our partners’ collaboration is essential to reducing heat network costs and improving transparency for residents.”

Stuart Wilcox, Head of Critical Infrastructure, FirstPort

“By combining data led engineering with resident‑focused delivery, working with FirstPort at Capital East II has translated investment into a more efficient network and a measurably better everyday experience for residents.”

Katy Lister, Client Relationship Director, Vital Energi

Key Benefits

  • £489,900 capital grant secured (Round 7), targeted at priority measures with the strongest cost-to-benefit ratio for residents.
  • >203 residents benefit from more reliable heating and hot water, with a reduced number of outage-related callouts.
  • ~312,000 kWh/year energy savings projected, driven by better controls, lower return temperatures, and reduced plant cycling.
  • >203 residents benefit from more reliable heating and hot water, with a reduced number of outage-related callouts.
Heat interface units (HIUs) Operations & maintenance Funding Structures London