Low-carbon city heat network developer 1Energy has secured £75m of investment and three anchor customers for its heat pump-powered network in the UK city of Bradford. With the support of its key partners – the University of Bradford, Bradford College, and Bradford Courts – the Bradford Energy Network will enable the rapid decarbonisation of heating.
With 1Energy recently breaking ground on its energy centre, its approach combines £75m of private capital and public investment in Bradford, providing a blueprint to decarbonise cities and towns nationally. This total includes £20m of investment from the UK Government’s Green Heat Network Fund.
Using Bradford as a blueprint, 1Energy has ambitions to deploy £1bn within the next eight years into building new city-wide, low-carbon heat networks across the UK, with its model providing the lowest cost, simplest and fastest route to decarbonising heat at scale and a long-term foundation for healthier, greener cities.
This will be primarily funded by investment from UK and global institutional investors through Asper Investment Management’s dedicated fund, which supports the development, construction and operation of 1Energy’s heat networks.
Reducing Emissions
The Bradford Energy Network is projected to reduce the carbon emissions from heating connected buildings by 80% during its first phase, supporting the council’s city-wide net zero targets. Through reducing the country’s reliance on gas for heating, the networks will also bolster energy security while protecting public and private sector organisations against sudden changes in prices.
“We cannot reach net zero without decarbonising heat. We are proud to be delivering a city-wide solution to this challenge for Bradford alongside the University of Bradford, Bradford College, and Bradford Courts,” said Andrew Wettern, CEO of 1Energy. “The Bradford Energy Network is a flagship project in the UK’s transition to low carbon heating. Crucially, it also provides a blueprint for national rollout, successfully demonstrating how to: deploy institutional investment alongside Government funding, deliver savings for customers in the transition, and decarbonise existing and new buildings across a city through an exemplar low carbon heat network.
“The project is already delivering significant social value and wider benefits to the city – creating new jobs and skills, utilising the local supply-chain and creating a more favourable environment for inward investment into Bradford. Thanks to the support of our key partners, we are able to put Bradford right at the very forefront of decarbonised, healthier cities in the UK and to assist its regeneration and growth.”
Representing 54% of the carbon savings among the key partners, the University of Bradford led the charge on behalf of its students. “This represents a pivotal moment for the city and the UK. As an anchor customer of the Bradford Energy Network and strategic partner of UK City of Culture 2025, we are proud to have played a vital role in helping build a healthier, greener Bradford,” said Professor Shirley Congdon, vice-chancellor of the University of Bradford.
“The network provides an opportunity to show the government how to build a brighter future for young people across the country, with other cities following in Bradford’s footsteps. It shows how we as a university are enabling positive change, for people and the planet.”
