Paddington Village Heat and Energy Network
Paddington Village, Liverpool
Our Story
The Paddington Village Heat and Energy Network is a key player in proving innovative and sustainable heat solutions across the city of Liverpool, connecting the Paddington Village site and other new and future buildings to the decarbonisation route map for the city.
The £35 million Spine building in the heart of Paddington Village is one of the UK’s healthiest buildings. It is designed to increase the health and wellbeing of the people who work and visit there with its internationally recognised WELL standard.
As we move towards a zero-carbon economy, providing sustainable heat solutions for businesses to tap into is crucial to allow densely populated city centres to decarbonise and help reach the wider national Net Zero targets.
The Paddington Village is a £1 billion flagship development site at the eastern gateway to Liverpool’s thriving Innovation District, providing state-of-the-art education, tech, science and health spaces.
The Challenge
A huge challenge for this project was navigating the surge in energy prices post-covid and having to deal with a hugely volatile and unpredictable market. This industry requires patience and flexibility to allow projects come tor fruition and being able to deal with unexpected set backs.
The Solution
The building is heated by a low-carbon heating exchange based within the ground floor of the adjacent new 14-storey car park (which will also provide heat to the other Paddington Village buildings either under construction or planned), using 30-50% less energy. The smart building management system regulates the temperature and lighting, responding to external lighting conditions and saving energy by turning lights off when rooms are not being used.
LED lighting saves 50% of energy costs compared to traditional lighting. Programmable lift technology minimises journeys by empty lifts, and there are posters to encourage people to use the signature ‘Spine’ staircase.
The design of its internal spaces, glazing features, and the use of plants and water inside creates a calming working environment for people that work and visit there.