Duffryn is a large housing estate in Newport, built in the 1970s. All heat and hot water is supplied by a biomass boiler fed to homes through a heat network.
In February this year, the system experienced a series of leaks which disrupted the heating and hot water of over 1,000 homes. As a result, Newport City Homes carried out a full review of the performance of the district heating system and found the pipe network to be at the end of its serviceable life, having been in place for over 50 years.
Full performance of the district heating system
Vital Energi was appointed as the principal contractor to carry out the replacement programme to upgrade the pipework which connects the heating system to homes, opting to appoint OnSite for this project to help deliver the pipework replacement.
New pre-insulated district heating mains will be laid alongside the existing mains, which will help reduce any downtime associated with switching from the existing system to the new one.
OnSite will undertake 3.5km of civil engineering work across the whole estate. It will be a challenge for the team to keep the existing system live during the work as the new pipes will cross over the old pipes in some locations where it’s not possible to run directly alongside.
Ashley Walsh, managing director of Heat Networks, at Vital Energi said: “For nearly 50 years, this scheme has provided heating and hot water to the people of Duffryn, and this upgrade will safeguard this essential service for decades to come, making the heat network more reliable and more efficient.
“We are delighted to be delivering 7.5km of pipework on the project and also look forward to working with the local community on some exciting community engagement projects.”