Leeds College of Building’s North Street Campus is set to benefit from the latest expansion of the Leeds PIPES district heating network.
The network uses heat recovered from non-recyclable domestic waste to provide warmth and hot water to buildings in the city. The project is helping businesses and residents to move away from costly fossil-fuel heating systems to more reliable, affordable, and lower carbon heating.
Expansion into the South Bank area of Holbeck and Hunslet comes after £24.5m funding was secured to expand the network. This multi-million-pound investment will be key in delivering Leeds City Council’s ambition of becoming a zero-carbon city by 2030.
David Pullein, Leeds College of Building Vice Principal – Finance & Resources, said: “Joining the Leeds PIPES network was an easy decision to make, given the original gas boilers at our North Street Campus only operate at 75% efficiency. Switching over to the heat network brings several benefits, the most significant being a 3,800-tonne carbon saving over 20 years.
“This low-carbon energy source will significantly reduce our costs and help to bring the site in line with our modern South Bank Campus, which already uses air source heat pumps and biomass pellets.
“Moving to the district heating scheme is one of our largest environmental actions to date. It is a big step in supporting Leeds College of Building’s sustainability agenda and the city’s greener vision for the future.”