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Vital Energi was then successful at winning further “contractor lots” which will eventually tie into the main spine and are currently being delivered by our Network Infrastructure Team.
Southwark Council was undertaking an ambitious “Revitalize SE16” programme as part of its 5-year, £326 million improvements of council properties through their “Warm Dry Safe” fundEstate’s ageing district heating main as part of these works.
The original district heating network had been installed during the construction of the estate circa 1977 and some of the pipework was now coming to the end of its design life and needed replacing. The original pipe had performed well but had ceased to be cost-effective due to the heat losses and leaks, which required frequent repairs. Additionally, these leaks resulted in fresh water being introduced to the system, which was causing corrosion and damage to the communal heating scheme.
It was clear that the council and Vital Energi shared a core value of creating as little disruption as possible and as part of our approach, we created a communications strategy to keep residents informed. This involved appointing a Resident Liaison Officer who would become a familiar face and help us communicate effectively. This was supplemented with a regular newsletter posted to each resident which would detail progress and include a “what next” section summarising upcoming works.
To further ensure residents were engaged, we attended all meetings of the tenants’ association, answering questions, giving updates and listening to feedback from the attendees.
The district heating mains replacement would see a combination of buried district heating pipework installed into excavated trenches, and pipework installed into subterranean service ducts. Overall, we excavated 1,090m of trenches and installed over 4,500m of pre insulated district heating pipework.