HUH Meet With Social Investment Business
20th February 2024
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To keep the scheme moving forward, Heat Upper Heyford met with Social Investment Business. SIB is a charitable foundation that grant funds and invests in social purpose organisations throughout the UK https://www.sibgroup.org.uk/
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They are currently in the early stages of developing funding for community heating schemes. The aim is to offer grant support to existing groups with their feasability costs to fully develop the techical, governance and finance specifications to set up and operate their district heating project.
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We welcomed Deputy CEO Genevieve Maitland Hudson to Heyford and gave her a tour of the village and potential bore hole and power centre site. A video was made of the visit, which includes an interview with HUH's Andy Meaney, outlining the project and explaining what is needed to help push our project forward.
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The footage will be part of a presentation to help obtain funding for community heating schemes.
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Volunteer Skills Needed
12th of December 2023
Valley News Article
7th of December 2023
Newsletter Scheme Update
21st of November 2023
Ecology Report Somerton Road Site.
14th of September 2023
As part of the planning process, an ecology survey was carried out in in May this year. We have received the report back and are we pleased to say the HUH scheme can comfortably meet and hopefully exceed the ecological needs of the Upper Heyford Parish Allotments' land.
The full report can be viewed below:
HUH On BBC Oxford Radio
14th of August, 2023.
Listen to Heat Upper Heyford’s Charlie Henry discuss Heat Upper Heyford’s proposed scheme on BBC Oxford’s Sophie Law Show. The segment is about the Government plans to stop the installation of oil boilers by 2026 and what alternatives are out there. The segment also includes Avril Roberts from the Country Land and Business association at the beginning. The whole segment is worth listening to but Charlie’s interview can be found at 2:26:47
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Let's Keep Talking!
1st of June, 2023.
We had a chat with three upper Heyford residents; Janet, Leanne and Mike. In these interviews they share their thoughts on the scheme, what they think will be the benefits and their concerns. If you have any concerns, thoughts, ideas or questions, please get in touch with us. An open dialogue between us all will help make the scheme a success for the whole village. heatupperheyford@gmail.com
We also welcome messages via our Facebook page
Heat Upper Heyford Newsletter
15th May 2023
Village Zoom Meeting
April 21st 2023
Watch a recorded version of the village Zoom meeting held on Thursday 20th of April. Heat Upper Heyford's Andrew Meaney gave an update on the project and we were joined by Emma Fletcher and Mike Barker, Directors of the Swaffham Prior Community Interest Company.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
March 29th 2023
As Part of the Cherwell District Council planning process for the heat network scheme, our lead consultants Scene requested an EIA screening for the proposed area for the borehole array and energy centre. The EIA screening was carried out by Cherwell District Council to assess the significant effects of a project or development on the environment. We have now received an EIA decision from Cherwell District Council with a view that the environmental impact of the Heat Upper Heyford scheme will be minimal. The documents received can be viewed below. Along with the EIA request, we have also had an ecology survey carried out in the barn and the field. Elite Ecology visited the proposed site and a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Report is being prepared and will be ready by the end of May.
Test Borehole A Success!
Our latest newsletter covers all of the action from January's test borehole drilling. Watch the video below to hear how TownRock Geothermal Geologist David Walls and Geothermal Engineer, Emmet Strachan, carried out their work at the site.
Test Borehole Briefing Note
December 2022
FUNDING APPROVED FOR STAGE 2
We’re continuing to make progress with testing the feasibility of a heat network in our village. The latest news is that we have been successful in receiving approval for funding for the next stage of feasibility studies. It seems as though we’re the only village in the country with approval to move a heat network onto this stage, which is quite exciting!
Our grant funding is subject to a couple of conditions, which are taking some time to work through with the funding body (Greater South East Net Zero Hub – formerly the Greater South East Energy Hub) to ensure we are well set to meet them. If you want to find out more follow us on Facebook or if you're in our village then sign up to our mailing list.
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One development that we’ve been asked in Phase 2 to test in our village context by GSENZH is a so-called ‘ambient loop’ system. This takes low-temperature around the network from a borehole array or air-source heat pumps, and this low-temperature supply is then compressed at each property to achieve temperatures required for heating and hot water. The benefit of such a system is that it reduces heat loss from pumping higher-temperatures around the network; what we need to test in Phase 2 is its suitability for retrofit situations such as ours, and, of course, whether it meets HUH’s objectives for a heat network in Upper Heyford.
While we work through the necessaries in the next few weeks, do please get in touch if you have any questions. In the meantime, please Like our Facebook page; look out for our next visit to the scheme at North Aston; and an interview we’re doing with someone in the village who has gone through the process of fitting solar panels to their propert
YIPEEEEEE
You can read the full report here
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Headlines of the Avieco feasibility report are:
it is recommended that we progress to a detailed Phase 2 investigation and then to the development of a high temperature (72 degrees centigrade) heat network, supplied by either ground or air source heat pumps
162 out of 165 village properties are in the potential heat supply zone (the three properties currently excluded are Manor Farm, and Lilliput / Valley View on Lower Heyford Road)
potential land parcels and an Energy Centre location have been identified on the Poors Allotment field (to the east of the allotments) and on adjoining land owned by New College
forecast operational costs of heat production for ground source heat pumps (the most likely option) are lower than direct electric heating, oil, LPG or individual household air sourced heat pumps, and are slightly higher than mains gas. The operational costs shown in the report do not allow for the recently reported +50% increase in domestic gas prices nor for any operational savings from generating our own solar electricity to power the Energy Centre
The challenges we (HUH) foresee are -
obtaining grants or capital investment to build the scheme which take a sufficiently long term perspective (i.e. 40 to 60 years, the life of the primary infrastructure)
gaining sufficient village support (potentially 100+ properties)
determining who constructs and then operates the scheme (governance)
Next steps
We have applied for Phase2 grant application we will find out by mid-m
Visit to North Aston on Saturday 12th March to see scheme in operation and to talk to residents
(for more details ask Chris Coe or email heatupperheyford@gmail.com)
Read the full report here.
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WE GOT THE GRANT! HOORAY!
We were awarded £40,000 from the Rural community Energy Fund to conduct a study to see if a community heat network is suitable for our village.
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