The University of Edinburgh Utilities Supply Company

Working within the historic part of Edinburgh brought its own challenges. We had to lay district heating pipe beneath Flodden Wall which is a historic monument, meticulously removing and replacing cobbled streets and were accompanied by an archaeologist who was plotting the boundaries of the old city wall. The work also led to the discovery of a knight’s skeleton during excavation in High School Yards, which created a temporary delay.

Forethought and careful planning enabled Vital Energi to overcome some significant obstacles in order to successfully complete the design and build of a new CHP energy centre located within the staff car park area of The Centre for Sport and Exercise (CSE) to provide heating, hot water and electricity to the University campus via underground pipework and cabling. In its determination to meet the timescale, Vital Energi undertook a large amount of prefabrication work to ensure ease and speed of installation on-site. This included having all the energy centre mechanical pipe work prefabricated off site to ensure quality of product, less on-site welding and to save install time on site.

The energy centre site was only accessible through a narrow low tunnel measuring 3.5m to 3.7m in height. Vital Energi, therefore, had to design the equipment to fit through this access while still delivering optimum performance.  This challenge was a first for us but careful preparation meant that we managed to bring all equipment and plant through the tunnel except the gas-fired boilers and the thermal store. Special permission from highways was obtained to shut Viewcraig Gardens, the street running alongside the CSE, while the remaining plant was craned on to site after we had managed to build up good working relationships with the two highways departments impacted by the project.

The whole scheme has been future-proofed by sizing the district heating to accommodate later extension to serve the OId College Area and link to George Square. Vital Energi has also been invited to tender for the 10 year operations and maintenance contract for the CHP engine.

The new community energy scheme was installed and finished in time and on budget and now saves the University approximately £170,000 a year in energy costs (gas and electricity) and reduces its annual carbon emissions by an estimated 1,016 tonnes.