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The UK government has legal binding objectives under the "climate change act 2008" to accomplish net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. The government has implemented a variety of measures across many different sectors of the UK economy that are accountable for the emissions. The aim of this research was to evaluate and compare some existing renewable energy technologies. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of installing these technologies into homes across the UK and the impact it has on the "net-zero housing" scheme. A series of results were produced using the SAP rating, deploying an existing dwelling located in Bradford, UK, fitted with a gas boiler and comparing the results to those obtained for an air source heat pump (ASHP) and a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system (MVHR). The three systems were analysed in terms of cost-effectiveness, carbon footprint and energy savings. The study found that the installation of a gas boiler costs less than that of the other systems, whilst ASHPs involve high upfront costs. However, the latter showed higher energy savings, with an efficiency of 4.0 compared to 0.75 and 0.95 for the gas boiler and MVHR, respectively. The SAP rating showed that the ASHP had a carbon footprint of 2396.3 kg/year for the studied flat of 65.72 m2, whilst carbon footprints of 3406.92 CO2 kg/year and 7143.45 kg/year were determined for the gas boiler and the MVHR system, respectively. The study concluded that ASHPs work better than the other systems for most of the existing UK housing, unless a whole building fabric improvement is considered, in which case, some other renewable options could be a choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the performance of waste heat recovery from commercial kitchen wastewater in practice. A pilot study of heat recovery from the kitchen at Penrhyn Castle, a tourist attraction in North Wales (UK), is outlined. The pilot heat recovery site was designed and installed, comprising a heat exchanger, recirculation pumps, buffer tank and an extensive temperature/flow monitoring system for performance monitoring of the waste heat recovery system. Continuous monitoring was conducted for a period of 8 months, covering the 2022 tourist season. The recovered heat from the kitchen wastewater preheats the incoming cold freshwater supply and consequently reduces the amount of energy consumed for subsequent water heating. Retrofitting the pilot heat recovery system to the kitchen drains resulted in a heat saving of 240 kWh per month on average, a reduction of 928.8 kg CO2e per year, and a payback period for the investment costs of approximately two years, depending on the cost of energy supply. The presented results illustrate the potential of this form of renewable heat in reducing the carbon footprint of water heating activities in buildings and the hospitality sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three heat recovery cycles are studied to recover the waste heat from the exhaust gas outlet of a glass-melting furnace. To determine the viability and potential dangers based on techno-economic aspects, three fundamental recovery cycles for the exhaust gas from UK glass melting furnaces are examined. The parametric thermodynamic and techno-economic study reveals the effects of the key parameters: The condenser temperature of the ORC cycle, the pressure ratio of the s C O 2 cycle, and the flash pressure of the Kalina cycle. Three thermodynamic parameters (Power production, energy, and exergy efficiency), as well as five techno-economic parameters (LCOE, NPV, PP, IRR, and MOIC), have been studied with varying key factors. The results showed that ORC is the best possible option for low-temperature waste exhaust gases as it is not as expensive as other ones, while super-critical C O 2 has the highest power production to produce power from high-temperature waste heat sources. Even though ORC's payback period is 10% longer than s C O 2 's, Comparing the IRR, NPV, and MOIC of the ORC cycle to those of the s C O 2 cycle, the differences are just 8.3%, 5.3%, and 8.2% lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With many of the world's governments committing to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by mid-century, with well-defined milestones along the road, it is important to investigate how each sector can contribute towards achieving this global goal. The manufacturing sector, with its energy-intensive processes, large amounts of wastes, and hazardous and harmful emissions, is one of the main contributors to global GHG emissions, as well as other sustainability aspects, and, thus, it has great potential to contribute substantially to achieve net-zero objectives. This paper presents a techno-environmental-economic analysis of technologies that can play a key, enabling and leading role in the quest towards net-zero. Such technologies typically bring modest improvement in the environmental performance; however, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate how such small changes, when implemented in an industrial setting, can contribute significantly to the collective improvement in the environmental performance. In order to put the potential improvements into perspective, a real case study from the UK aerospace manufacturing sector is conducted. In the case study, metrics measuring potential improvements from the installation of a low-to-medium waste heat recovery system, and the upgrade of electric motors in the shopfloor to more energy efficient ones, are calculated through environmental and economic models. The models are then subject to a series of sensitivity analyses experiments to help understand the impact of different sources of uncertainty on the perceived GHG emissions, and economic and energy savings. The techno-environmental-economic analysis results revealed that these small changes, when implemented in an industrial setting, can indeed bring valuable improvements in the environmental performance of a manufacturing institute. Further, the sensitivity analysis experiments demonstrated how the environmental and economic performances are not adversely affected by different levels of fluctuations in key, likely to fluctuate, input parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK has one of the least energy-efficient housing stocks in Europe. By 2030, the emissions from UK homes need to fall by at least 24% from 1990 levels to meet the UK's ambitious goal, which is reaching net-zero emissions. The originality of this paper is to apply the building typology approach to predict energy savings of the UK housing stock under a step-by-step energy retrofit scenario, targeting the Passive House Standard for refurbishments of existing buildings, namely the EnerPHit "Quality-Approved Energy Retrofit with Passive House Components." The typologies consist of twenty reference buildings, representative of five construction ages and four building sizes. The energy balance of the UK residential buildings was created and validated against statistical data. A building stock retrofit plan specifying the order in which to apply energy efficiency measures was elaborated, and energy savings were calculated. The predicted total energy demand for the UK residential building stock for the year 2022 is 37.7 MTOE, and the carbon emissions estimation is 65.33 MtCO2e. The energy-saving potential is 87%, and carbon reductions are about 76%, considering all the steps of renovation applied. It has been demonstrated that the step that provides the biggest savings across the housing stock is the one that involves replacing windows, draught-proofing, and installing mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a heat pump investigation for GreenSCIES (GS), a fifth Generation district heating and cooling (5DHC) network in Islington, London. The paper describes the GreenSCIES concept integrating Mobility, Power and Heat into a Smart Local Energy System (SLES). At the heart of the system is an ultra-low temperature ambient loop network, which permits bi-directional flow within the pipes to allow energy exchange between heating and cooling customers at different times and in different locations, depending on where demand is at any given time. An existing data centre provides the primary source of waste heat for the scheme. Heat pumps in distributed energy centres are utilised to amplify the temperature of the ambient loop to deliver heat in connected buildings. The energy centres integrate heat pumps with building-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and electric vehicle (EV) charging points. The paper provides an overview of the integrated SLES concept, focussing on the heat pump selection and the short and long-term thermal storage options designed for the scheme. The results show that even the smaller constructible 'New River' scheme will save 5,000 tons of CO2e annually. This will tend to 100% as the grid decarbonise further. Therefore, the GS SLES concept applied to urban areas could deliver significant carbon emission savings in the UK and elsewhere. Practical application: Project GreenSCIES, is a detailed design study to develop a Smart, Local Energy System (SLES) for a large community in the London Borough of Islington. Our consortium have developed an innovative SLES concept, centred around a fifth generation district heating and cooling network. The GS ambient loop systems have negligible losses and much greater efficiencies than traditional district heat networks. As recognised by the UK Government's Heat and Buildings Strategy, ambient loop systems should be considered where large-scale neighbourhood regeneration occurs. The proposed SLES concept applied to wider urban areas could deliver significant carbon emission savings in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovering waste heat from urban infrastructures is becoming increasingly important as the UK strives to decarbonise heat, which remains one of the main challenges in the transition towards net zero. The Bunhill Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) System represents a first of its kind scheme that will recover waste energy from a ventilation shaft of the London Underground (LU) transport network. The system is based upon the installation of a heat recovery heat exchanger that consists of cooling coils and a reversible fan. The coils are connected to a heat pump that supplies low-carbon thermal energy to the Bunhill Heat Network in Central London. One particularly important aspect of the Bunhill WHR system is its ability to operate in a way that not only provides heating to the local heat network, but can also simultaneously supply cooled air to the LU tunnels depending on the operation of the reversible fan. The current paper estimates the potential cooling benefit that could be achieved with the WHR system based upon the development of a mathematical model. The model is able to predict the condition of the coil surface according to air inlet parameters, and this is used to calculate the latent and sensible cooling loads, which are applied to simulate how the system affects the local tunnel environment, with peak temperature reductions of up to 7.2 K being estimated for adjacent stations in 2030. The results from the investigation are presented together with recommendations for further development and future deployment of heat recovery from metro systems, as this technology could be applied across London and elsewhere to deliver significant carbon and cost savings while improving the thermal environment of railway tunnels. Practical Application: This work investigates the cooling potential behind a practical project that involves recovering waste heat from the LU network. As electrification leads to an increased deployment of heat pump and district heating systems, waste heat could become a valuable resource for maximising energy efficiency, even more so when additional cooling benefits can be achieved. This paper aims to explore the impacts of cooling on railway tunnels, emphasising how secondary benefits, which are many times overlooked, could be critical to making waste heat recovery economically feasible, maximising its potential as a key technology for decarbonising heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a risen interest in heat recovery systems for building applications due to concerns about the energy crisis and global climate change. In this paper, the intention to understand the performance of a window thermoelectric heat pump/heat recovery system (Ecopump) for heating has been developed. An overview to the prototype design, heat transfer model, experimental parameters and environmental feasibility is discussed. The variation of MATLAB modelling results followed the same regularity as the experimental results. The MATLAB model along with Revit has been used to simulate the Ecopump's performance when installed in a sustainable house in the UK. From the calculation, Ecopump can provide 670 kWh heating energy and reduce 90.6 kg CO2 emissions per year. The proposed Ecopump system combined with window frame could be a promising technology to enhance space heating for domestic buildings while reducing energy consumption during daily ventilation. Further in situ experiments should be conducted to explore its comprehensive performance in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By 2050, the UK government plans to create 'Net zero society'. 1 To meet this ambitious target, the deployment of low carbon technologies is an urgent priority. The low carbon heat recovery technologies such as heat recovery from sewage via heat pump can play an important role. It is based on recovering heat from the sewage that is added by the consumer, used and flushed in the sewer. This technology is currently successfully operating in many cities around the world. In the UK, there is also a rising interest to explore this technology after successful sewage heat recovery demonstration project at Borders College, Galashiels, Scotland. 2 However, further experimental research is needed to build the evidence base, replicate, and de-risk the concept elsewhere in the UK. The Home Energy 4 Tomorrow (HE4T) project at London South Bank University was created to address this evidence gap. This is the fourth article in the series of outputs on sewage heat recovery and presents some results using sewage data from the UK's capital London. These data are scarce and provide useful information on the variation of flows and temperatures encountered in the sewers of the UK's capital. Lastly, we discuss the recoverable heat potential along with policy implications for the UK heat strategy. Practical application: This work focuses and accentuate that in order to meet climate change targets, substantial improvements can come by heat recovery from the raw (influent) and treated wastewater (effluent from wastewater treatment plant) that is still unexploited in the UK. The estimation presented indicates that there is much theoretical potential in the UK with significant opportunity for future energy and revenue retrieval along with GHGs emission reduction in the longer term to fulfil the 'net zero' objective. This work aims to raise awareness and seek support to promote pilot scale studies to help demonstrate technical and economic feasibility in the building industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-temperature heat recovery, cooling and storage schemes, using abandoned flooded mine workings, are a viable option for low-carbon heating solutions within many abandoned British coalfields. The temperature of mine water is a useful parameter, coupled with depth to water, sustainable yield and recharge potential, to identify suitable locations and calculate the likely performance of heat recovery schemes. This paper aims to provide the first mapping and synthesis of the temperature of Britain's coalfields to support this emerging technology. Using the best available evidence, a median geothermal gradient of 24.1°C km−1 was calculated for the British coalfields. However, geothermal gradients between separate coalfields can vary from 17.3 to 34.3°C km−1. The North East, Cumbria and Yorkshire coalfields all have mean geothermal gradients generally >30°C km−1, whereas geothermal gradients of generally <23°C km−1 are measured in the Warwickshire, South Wales, Staffordshire, Douglas and Fife coalfields. Active dewatering schemes are shown to locally increase the apparent measured geothermal gradient by ingress and mixing of deeper water into the pumping shafts. This baseline spatial mapping and synthesis of coalfield temperatures offers significant benefit to those planning, designing and regulating heat recovery and storage in Britain's abandoned coalfields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of district heating will have a significant impact on the building services industry, from the architecture of a building to its operation. This technical note investigates a delimited portion of the potential of currently unutilised heat which has the possibility to supply district heating networks in the UK. The UK industrial sector, wastewater treatment facilities and the existing UK waste incineration plants all produce waste heat available in a temperature range suitable for extraction into district heating networks via commercialised techniques broadly used in other countries. This technical note presents a comparative literature review, comparing UK statistics and studies with performance data based on Swedish operational facilities. It finds 51.7TWh of currently unutilised heat could be recovered annually, with a significant associated emission decrease if incorporated into the heat supply of the UK building stock. A quantitative analysis is carried out to compare the identified potential with the current UK heat demand and the potential impact on the UK carbon emissions is estimated. The calculations indicate a reduction of 14% in the required UK total domestic heat supply, despite only including a limited fraction of the available waste heat potential. Practical application: This technical note serves to highlight and emphasise the large amount of available waste heat potential currently not utilised in the UK. By estimating the impact of waste heat utilisation and incorporation into district heating and heat networks in the UK, the technical note aims to fuel discussion around the further incorporation of waste heat to be utilised in the UK heat sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article details with the use of objective sizing techniques for a novel design of a residential solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) combined cooling, heating, and electrical power system for the U.K. market. The aim of the research is to determine the objective sizing of key parameters relating to the cooling, heating, and power supply and demand, namely the number of cells in the SOFC, the effectiveness of the heat exchangers, and the coefficient of performance of the absorption chillers. These parameters are determined taking into account the aspects of efficiency, economic, and environmental impacts through use of the entropy-weighting approach and gray relationship analysis. The combination of these two approaches will help designers maximize efficiency of energy utilization and minimize emissions and costs of the system being examined. It is envisaged that electrical demand would be met by the fuel cell (FC) stacks, while the most efficient use is made of heat that is generated by the FC through waste heat recovery to satisfy domestic hot water, freezers, space heating, and space cooling. The demand of the conventional electric freezers is innovatively designed to be fulfilled by heat exchangers and absorption chillers to further increase the efficiency of heat energy use. Due to the energy demand characteristics of the U.K. domestic sector, the proposed system structure, objective sizing values, and operation control strategies—supported by MATLAB/Simulink software—are suited to the residential energy demands of a single household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework to calculate heat recovery from CO 2 refrigerated systems is presented. • Substantial heat is recovered but it does not match the instantaneous heating load. • Useful heat recovered in a UK supermarket case study ranges from 28.7% to 43.2%. • Heat recovery in normal conditions reduced natural gas use by 48% and costs by 6.2%. • The most efficient heat recovery strategy reduces energy use by 32%. This paper compares and quantifies the energy, environmental and economic benefits of various control strategies recovering heat from a CO 2 booster system in a supermarket for space heating with the purpose of understanding its potential for displacing natural gas fuelled boilers. A theoretical steady-state model that simulates the behaviour of the CO 2 system is developed and validated against field measurements obtained from an existing refrigeration system in a food-retail building located in the United Kingdom. Five heat recovery strategies are analysed by modifying the mass flow and pressure level in the condenser. The model shows that a reduction of 48% in natural-gas consumption is feasible by the installation of a de-superheater and without applying any advanced operating strategy. However, the CO 2 system can fully supply the entire space-heating requirements by adopting alternative control strategies, albeit by penalising the coefficient of performance (COP) of the compressor. Results show that the best energy strategy can reduce total consumption by 32%, while the best economic strategy can reduce costs by 6%. Findings from this work suggest that heat recovery systems can bring substantial benefits to improve the overall efficiency of energy-intensive buildings; nevertheless trade-offs need to be carefully considered and analysed on a site by site basis before embarking on such initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Drain water heat recovery potential of commercial kitchens is examined. • Financially feasible potential in the hospitality sector in the UK is 1.24 TWh / yr. • This can be achieved at 2.94 p £/ kg Ce saved , over a 10-year lifetime. • This leads to 344 k tons Ce / yr reduced emissions. • 160 GWh (a reduction of 44 k tons Ce / yr) remains commercially unexploitable. In order to meet ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, the reduction of fuel consumption in the heating sector is necessary. This paper assesses the impact of introducing direct drain water heat recovery systems in commercial kitchens in the UK, based on a commercially available heat exchangers. The recoverable heat from these kitchens was estimated using Monte Carlo simulation, sector consumption data, and data measured in the field. A financial criterion, the Net Present Value calculated over 10 years, was used to estimate feasibility threshold values for the kitchen water consumption, varying with the heating fuel used in each premises. This analysis resulted in a total financially feasible potential for drain water heat recovery in the hospitality and food service sector in the UK of approximately 1.24 TWh / yr , leading to a reduction in GHG emissions of 344 k tons Ce / yr. This could be achieved at a cost of approximately 2.94 p £/ kg Ce saved , over a 10-year lifetime, which was several orders of magnitude smaller than traditional renewable heat sources such as heat pumps. Commercially available drain water heat recovery systems could, when installed, exploit around 88% of current potential in drain water heat in commercial kitchens (1.40 TWh / yr) in a manner that is financially profitable. However, this paper assumes the availability of a 2 m vertical drop in the kitchen drain, required to install the heat exchanger, and thus achieve optimal effectiveness. In case this head is not available, the heat recovery potential would be untapped, as in approximately 160 GWh , in kitchens where the hot water consumption is too small for financial profitability. This corresponds to a reduction in GHG emissions of 44 k tons Ce / yr and leaves a gap in the market for inexpensive DWHR devices, which could exploit this potential at lower efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK's Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association competent persons scheme collects pressure test data and metadata from the majority of new build dwellings in the UK. This article uses the dataset to investigate the importance of the ventilation strategy in airtightness design and construction. Design and measured airtightness were tested for association with declared ventilation strategy. It was found that ventilation strategy makes a statistically significant difference to airtightness; however, this difference is too small to be practically relevant. Properties with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) were shown to have a mean designed air permeability only 0.46 m3/m2h lower than naturally ventilated dwellings. Seventy-three per cent of homes with MVHR have design airtightness greater than or equal to 5 m3/m2h and 17% of naturally ventilated dwellings have design airtightness less than 5 m3/m2h. We discuss how current design is not maximising the CO2, cost and air quality benefit of each ventilation strategy. A new approach to regulatory compliance is proposed, which explicitly links the designed airtightness and chosen ventilation system. It is suggested that compliance could then be achieved using a set of airtightness ranges linked to appropriate ventilation strategies. This could be expected to result in reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions for new build homes compared to the current approach and would also potentially lead to better outcomes for occupants in terms of indoor air quality.Practical application: Analysis of a large database of the airtightness of new UK dwellings found that ventilation strategy makes very little difference to airtightness design. For dwellings with MVHR, the results suggest that infiltration levels are too high to maximise the energy savings; for naturally ventilated homes, there may be air quality issues. Coupling airtightness design and ventilation strategy can reduce a dwelling's energy demand and can support achieving the required energy performance rating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently UK industrial and manufacturing sectors are facing dual challenges of contributing to national 80% reduction targets in CO 2 emissions by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels) and improving economic competitiveness in the face of low cost imports. Since energy consumption is the main source of CO 2 emissions and directly related to products being manufactured, improving energy efficiency in energy intensive sectors is key to achieve CO 2 targets. Energy consumption is unlikely to meet the targets unless energy efficiency opportunities and technologies are fully explored and timely changes are made to business models and policies This study explores potential energy efficiency improvements from three perspectives: system efficiency of steam networks, waste heat recovery technologies and bioenergy/waste utilisation. Two UK energy-intensive sectors, iron and steel, and food and drink, are selected for analysis and discussion. Potential business models for energy efficiency are also reviewed as there are now a variety of energy service companies who can support adoption of appropriate technologies. Furthermore, drivers and barriers to the adoption of energy efficiency technologies are considered in this paper revealing the factors affecting the diffusion of energy efficient and waste heat recovery technologies and their interactions and interdependencies to energy consumptions. Findings show that it is possible to achieve energy consumption reduction in excess of 15% from a technical point of view, however improving energy efficiency in UK industry has been hindered due to some inter-related technical, economic, regulatory and social barriers. The findings help to demonstrate the significant potential for energy efficiency improvement in two industrial sectors, as well as showing the specific types of technologies relevant for different sectoral processes. The range of business models show opportunities for implementation and for developing innovative business models, addressing barriers, and using enablers to accelerate the diffusion of energy efficiency technologies in UK industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the UK housing sector, changes to building regulations have raised standards for fabric performance, bringing about a demand for affordable, low energy housing. Housing Associations have been at the forefront of adopting these measures, but as owners of long term rented stock it is important for them to understand and evaluate the performance of both ‘as-built’ and ‘as-occupied’ dwellings. This paper describes a detailed evaluation of three new-build social housing demonstration projects located in Glasgow (Scotland). The study included occupant surveys in each scheme, fabric testing and detailed monitoring of environmental conditions, energy consumption, and evaluation of occupancy behaviours in eight dwellings. A particular focus of this paper is the ventilation performance as the homes are ventilated differently using natural, mechanical extract and mechanical heat recovery methods. The results showed a wide discrepancy of energy consumption and poor levels of ventilation, particularly in bedrooms. Causes of this included the design and installation of the ventilation provision but occupant interaction with the systems was also a significant factor. Two sites included sun-spaces that, despite having good potential for preheat ventilation and drying spaces, were underperforming. The study highlights significant impacts of the complex interactions between heating and ventilation systems, and the apparent need for more effective ventilation strategies and systems in bedroom spaces, but also improved strategies for end-user understanding of, and interaction with, both mechanical systems and natural ventilation opportunities. The papers aims to provide robust and credible evidence on which to base critical regulatory and design decisions on the most effective means of ventilating low carbon social housing in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of pollution from abandoned coal mines often requires significant inputs of electrical power, particularly at sites where long-term pumping of mine water is required. Given the large fossil fuel generation element of the UK electricity supply network, this has a direct impact on carbon emissions. The potential for recovery of low enthalpy heat at mine water treatment sites in Great Britain, such that they could become net sources of energy during operation, rather than consumers, was explored using data from April 2014 to March 2015. To do this, an inventory of coal mine water treatment systems across England, Scotland and Wales was first collated, including key variables for each site. The heat energy which could potentially be recovered was then assessed against the energy consumption of each site and reviewed at a national scale. It was found that 47.5 MW of thermal energy was available for recovery from mine waters, compared to 2.3 MW of electrical power already committed for pumping and treatment of these waters. Recovery of thermal energy might be achievable by the use of heat pumps for space heating of nearby properties. Yet, because of the high carbon cost of UK grid electricity required to power heat pumps, this approach would offer only very modest CO 2 savings over domestic gas central heating. Calculations made in this paper suggests that just 0.33 kt CO 2 savings are achievable using this approach, compared to existing emissions of 10.8 kt CO 2 entailed by the pumping and treatment sites themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of micro-scale spirit distilleries worldwide has grown considerably over the past decade. With an onus on the distillery sector to reduce its environmental impact, such as carbon emissions, opportunities for increasing energy efficiency need to be implemented. This study explores the potential environmental benefits and financial gains achievable through heat recovery from different process and by-product streams, exemplified for a Scotch whisky distillery, but transferrable to micro-distilleries worldwide. The eco-efficiency methodology is applied, taking into account both climate change and water scarcity impacts as well as economic performance of alcohol production with and without heat recovery. A Life Cycle Assessment, focusing on climate change and water scarcity, is combined with a financial assessment considering investment costs and the present value of the savings over the 20-year service life of the heat recovery system. The proposed heat recovery systems allow carbon emission reductions of 8–23% and water scarcity savings of 13–55% for energy and water provision for 1 L of pure alcohol (LPA). Financial savings are comparatively smaller, at 5–13%, due to discounting of the future savings – but offer a simple payback of the investment costs in under two years. The eco-efficiency of the distillery operations can be improved through all proposed heat recovery configurations, but best results are obtained when heat is recovered from mashing, distillations and by-products altogether. A sensitivity analysis confirmed that the methodology applied here delivers robust results and can help guide other micro-distilleries on whether to invest in heat recovery systems, and/or the heat recovery configuration. Uptake should be enhanced through increased information and planning support, and in cases where the distillery offers insufficient heat and water sinks to use all pre-warmed water, opportunities to link with a heat sink outside the distillery are encouraged. A 10% reduction in heating fuel use through heat recovery has the potential to save 47 kt of CO 2 eq. or £7.4 M per annum in United Kingdom malt whisky production alone, based on current fuel types used and current prices (2021). • Life cycle environmental and financial analysis of heat recovery for distilleries. • Heating fuel can be reduced by 10–25%, water consumption by up to 50%. • Payback on capital expenditure is achievable within 2 years. • Full exploitation of excess heat will often require off-site heat sinks. • Technical and admin support for heat recovery through local governments encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK will need to decarbonise low temperature industrial waste heat (up to ≈250 °C) to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets. Industrial waste heat production represents an opportunity for reduction in the use of primary fuels used in the production of commodities. Energy inefficient processes in addition to increased emissions raises the cost of plant operation, – an undesirable scenario for both industrial competitiveness and the environment. Less is known about the quantity and potential applications for recovered low temperature industrial waste heat in UK and the quantification and characterisation of the resource can provide the needed impetus for the development and adoption of green technologies to help achieve the 2050 Net-Zero target. In this work the potential magnitude of the low temperature industrial waste heat resource in the UK is analysed by using sector-level energy intensity values for different industries while drawing on corresponding estimates from previous studies in the USA and by closely mapping the UK Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007) against sectors in the USA (NAICS [North American Industry Classification System]). The assessment undertaken finds that the recoverable potential of low temperature waste heat up to ≈250 °C could be up to 83.7% of the total estimated waste heat potential in UK industry. Significant opportunities exist in this low temperature range for waste heat recovery actions at individual sites. Research and Development (R&D) into alternative improved methods for waste heat recovery, storage, and use (WHRSU) technologies could also produce significant positive environmental and industrial impact. • Low temperature, up to ∼250 °C waste heat technical potential is estimated for UK. • Low waste heat potential is estimated by temperature level and industrial sector. • Mechanical engineering etc. (SIC 25 & 28) appear as important waste heat sectors. • A call to harmonised global SIC frameworks for public statistics and terminology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Heat recovery opportunities from UK industry were evaluated. [•] Surplus heat availability was based on previous work. [•] Various technologies to utilise the recovered heat were examined. [•] Greatest potential shown for heat use on-site and its conversion to electricity. [•] Transportation of heat shows potential, but will require the existence of networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A UK case study area containing over 33,000 households has been used to investigate spatial and temporal conflicts in meeting domestic heat demand through renewable electrical energy supply and low-grade decentralised heat recovery from the urban drainage network. The case study area was selected as its water infrastructure and population density were representative of the conditions experienced by the majority of the UK's urban population. The findings suggest that adopting an optimised and integrated water-energy system would lead to a 60% reduction in current carbon emissions, compared to a natural gas based system. The integrated water-energy system proposed for domestic heating showed an annual surplus of renewable energy of 716 GWh. However, a non-renewable source of energy of 114 GWh is required to deal with the intermittency of the demand and renewable energy supply. Given the renewable surplus, it would be possible to eliminate carbon emissions from domestic heating with the addition of local low efficiency inter-seasonal energy storage. Taking a broader perspective, the calculated 60% carbon emission saving is significant as the domestic housing sector contributes 15% of the UK carbon emissions. A progressive adoption of such locally based schemes throughout the country would be able to make tangible reductions to national carbon emission targets. • Quantified spatio-temporal patterns of energy supply and heat demand 33,000 households. • Optimised integrated water-energy system reduced domestic heating CO 2 emissions by 60%. • Considerable annual surplus of renewable energy and low-grade heat given heat demand. • Sub daily energy supply-demand imbalances occur throughout whole year. • Relatively low-efficiency thermal energy storage could mitigate imbalance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following study considers the spatial distribution, grade and seasonal variation of waste-heat from industrial sectors in the United Kingdom in 2018. Opportunities to offset the emissions caused by heat generation through the use of waste-heat recovery schemes have been examined. Reducing heat waste is a key intermediate step in avoiding climate disaster until fully decarbonised industrial practices have been developed and implemented. The findings of this study are presented as a 'UK waste heat map'. Data containing information on the natural gas consumption of different industries are used as a proxy for waste heat. This report finds that waste heat is concentrated around densely populated areas and areas with a traditionally strong industrial base. Such areas generate a large amount of the waste heat suitable for heat reuse, such as in a district heating scheme. The total waste heat from UK industry and electricity generation is estimated to be nearly 391,000 GWh per year. The data are represented in the accompanying UK waste heat map as point location data and by waste heat per Local Authority. Opportunities have been identified within each major industrial sector to reclaim and utilise this waste heat. • Waste heat from UK industry are mapped to identify potential waste-heat recovery. • UK industrial waste heat was estimated to be 391,000 GWh in 2018. • Waste heat is concentrated in areas of high population density. • Report details the methodology behind and interpretation of the UK waste heat map. • District heating from certain industries could increase reliance on natural gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a time when UK and Scottish governments are aiming for zero-carbon housing, there are two key issues for domestic laundering: passive indoor drying, affecting heating use and the indoor environment (addressed elsewhere); and energy and environmental impacts of appliances. Relevant findings are reported on the 2008–2011 study ‘Environmental Assessment of Domestic Laundering’, drawing on monitored data from 22 case studies out of 100 dwellings surveyed in Glasgow. Differing consumer traits and habits, combined with variable technical performance, provide quantitative and qualitative evidence of a wide estimated annual consumption range. Actual usage and energy consumption averaged less than UK predictions; and values did not necessarily correspond with manufacturers' energy ratings. In a wider discussion, case study median and mean extrapolations of electricity consumed by laundering (105 and 174 kWh/person-year) prove significant relative to the proportion of what could be available to a dwelling achieving the German Passivhaus standard. The potential for heat recovery from ‘grey’ water is posited along with other options for mitigating power consumed by appliances. Renewable technology to offset consumption in shared facilities is discussed as a means of easing the performance of individual homes. The foregoing aspects are among key conclusions directed at housing occupiers, providers, national and local governments, and industry. A l'heure où les gouvernements du Royaume-Uni et de l'Ecosse se donnent pour objectif des logements zéro carbone, il existe deux problèmes concernant le lavage domestique: le séchage passif en intérieur, qui affecte l'utilisation du chauffage et l'environnement intérieur (traité par ailleurs) et les incidences énergétiques et environnementales des appareils électroménagers. Il est fait état de résultats pertinents de l'étude 2008–2011 « Evaluation Environnementale du Lavage Domestique », qui s'appuie sur les données de surveillance issues de 22 études de cas sur 100 logements étudiés. Les différences dans les traits et les habitudes de consommation, associées aux variations des performances techniques, fournissent des éléments quantitatifs et qualitatifs probants indiquant une plage de consommation annuelle estimée étendue. L'utilisation et la consommation d'énergie effectives étaient inférieures en moyenne aux prévisions pour le Royaume-Uni; et les valeurs ne correspondaient pas nécessairement aux classements énergétiques des fabricants. Il ressort d'une discussion plus large que la médiane des études de cas et les extrapolations moyennes de l'électricité consommée par le lavage (105 et 174 kWh/personne-an) s'avèrent significatives quant à la part dont pourrait disposer un logement atteignant la norme allemande Passivhaus. Les possibilités de récupération de chaleur à partir des eaux « grises » sont avancées ainsi que d'autres options de réduction de l'énergie consommée par les appareils électroménagers. Il est discuté des technologies renouvelables permettant de compenser la consommation dans des installations partagées comme étant un moyen de réduire les performances attendues de chaque logement. Les aspects qui précèdent figurent parmi les principales conclusions qui s'adressent aux occupants des logements, aux fournisseurs de logements, aux administrations nationales et locales, et à l'industrie. Mots clés: appareils électroménagers, habitudes de consommation, lavage domestique, consommation énergétique, logement, qualité de l'air intérieur, comportement des habitants, charges des prises de courant [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the background information regarding low-carbon housings in the United Kingdom and to raise the concern of the possible high indoor pollution load due to the emissions from building materials and combustion products which would adversely affect the indoor air quality in air-tight buildings, especially homes. The standard guidelines given by the Building Regulations in the UK are reviewed especially in relation to mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems. Also research literatures in relation to heat recovery ventilators and the use of air-cleaners from Korea, Hong Kong and China and from Europe are also included to illustrate the various possibilities to conserve energy and to achieve adequate ventilation with an improvement of indoor air quality. The effectiveness of using a heat recovery ventilator system and trickle ventilators in unoccupied super-energy-efficient test houses is illustrated by reviewing the long-term indoor volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in these test houses. The awareness of the issue is important for the future design and indoor air management of buildings, so as to provide adequate ventilation for living spaces without costing too much on energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Thermal energy loss in the process industry is a significant issue due to the high temperatures and multiple heat intensive processes involved. High-grade thermal energy is typically recovered within processes. However, lower grade heat is often rejected to the environment. The benefits of capturing and utilising low grade thermal energy are highly dependent on the qualities and properties of the heat in the waste streams. The temperature of the low grade heat stream is the most important parameter, as the effective use of the residual heat or the efficiency of energy recovery from the low grade heat sources will mainly depend on the temperature difference between the source and a suitable sink, e.g. another process or space heating/cooling. In general, the temperatures of these waste heat sources are too low to produce electricity and direct heat use will depend on whether potential user can be found. This paper presents past and current drivers for heat recovery studies. High and low grade heat sources are defined according to the viability of recovery within the processes. Firstly, high grade heat capture within the processes is reviewed. Then, the focus is on the potential for low grade heat capture outside of the original plant. The paper addresses the potential for low grade heat recovery with regard to new incentives and technological advances. Finally, different aspects which influence the decision making for low grade heat recovery in the process industry are discussed. It is concluded that organisational, financial and economic barriers might be overcome and benefits from a holistic vision could be gained with stronger governmental policy and regulation incentives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Public health buildings contribute significantly to UK carbon emissions. New build initiatives have received more attention than the considerable opportunities to reduce carbon emissions within the retained health estate. The research reported here has considered the environmental performance of a typical medium rise, medium depth, concrete-framed, late 1960s acute hospital following low energy environmental design interventions. The interventions are made to optimize daylighting and natural ventilation/cooling whilst reducing overheating caused by summer time solar gains. Three options are investigated: advanced natural ventilation using plena and exhaust stacks; fan-assisted natural ventilation in which fans are used in the exhaust stacks; and mechanical ventilation/cooling with heat recovery. Computer simulations have been carried out to predict the influence on thermal performance (overheating risk) and energy consumption of each of these options on the original design. For each case, current weather data, and future weather data for the years 2020, 2050 and 2080, have been used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A three-step methodology to develop a HE for harnessing GW heat is put forward. • A PCM-HE with finned-corrugated pipes can be developed for versatile applications. • A technique simulating a unit volume determines performance of the holistic PCM-HE. • A developed PCM-HE saves 20–40% heat in residential buildings, as per a case study. • This novel methodology and technique can be applied in numerous energy applications. Waste greywater (GW) from non-industrial buildings has considerable exergy that must be exploited for a sustainable future. Scavenging this low-grade heat from GW into cold water (CW) before storage in a phase change material (PCM) is a novel approach to decouple demand and supply along with integrating storage and transfer in a single heat exchanger (HE). A methodology to optimally select an appropriate PCM along with the heat transfer enhancement procedures both internal and external to the flow pipes is presented. This procedure can be extended to reduce the hot water heating demand for applications in both residential and larger commercial buildings. Furthermore, a design technique to numerically assess the performance of a full-scale HE based on empirical formulations of a unit-volume are also put forward. As a case study, the performance of a counter-flow PCM-HE with vertically cascaded GW and CW finned-corrugated pipes is assessed for heat recovery in household appliances of a residential building. Such HE with 9 m piping length can increment the incoming CW temperature by 9.5 K with complete phase change of 30 kg of PCM in 900 s. A transfer of about 5,100 kJ of heat for PCM melting with GW outflow and freezing with CW inflow occurs within this time frame. Furthermore, to fully exploit the temperature differences between the fluids a three-cascaded PCM arrangement enhances the CW outlet temperature by 64%. The installation of this PCM-HE in a four-member UK household, can save 4,687 kWh of energy annually with a payback time of 4.44 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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• Techno-economic analysis of low-carbon heat supply options for UK supermarkets. • RIHC, an ASHP, and a thermal storage tank with advanced control is recommended. • Best investments provide a 16-to-18-year payback without a carbon price. • The UK renewable heat incentive subsidy (for ASHP) generates 89% of the 'savings' • When a £100/tCO2e tax is considered, paybacks are reduced to a 9–11 years. Eliminating the use of natural gas for non-domestic heat supply is an imperative component of net-zero targets. Techno-economic analyses of competing options for low-carbon heat supply are essential for decision makers developing decarbonisation strategies. This paper investigates the impact various heat supply configurations can have in UK supermarkets by using heat recovery principles from refrigeration systems under different climatic conditions. The methodology builds upon a steady-state model that has been validated in previous studies. All refrigeration integrated heating and cooling (RIHC) systems employ CO 2 booster refrigeration to recover heat and provide space heating alongside various technologies such as thermal storage, air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) and direct electric heaters. Seven cases evaluating various technology combinations are analysed and compared against a conventional scenario in which the building is heated with a natural gas boiler. The specific combinations of technologies analysed here contrasts trade-offs and is a first in the literature. The capital costs of these projects are considered, giving insights into their business case. Results indicate that electric heaters are not cost-competitive in supermarkets. Meanwhile, RIHC and ASHP configurations are the most attractive option, and if a thermal storage tank system with advanced controls is included, the benefits increase even further. Best solutions have a 6.3% ROI, a payback time of 16 years while reducing energy demand by 62% and CO 2 emissions by 54%. Such investments will be difficult to justify unless policy steers decision makers through incentives or the business case changes by implementing internal carbon pricing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

decimal%1 Operation of electrical cables in tunnels generates significant quantities of heat energy. 2 The cooling of cable tunnel air combined with waste heat recovery and reuse has been investigated. 3 The paper also estimates the reduction of cable power losses due to cooling. 4 The potential to increase cable loading as a result of cable tunnel air cooling is also identified. 5 Significant carbon savings can be achieved through cable tunnel cooling with waste heat recovery. Electrical power in cities is typically distributed by means of underground cable tunnels. The cables generate significant heat, and tunnel temperature is generally controlled via ventilation shafts with circulation to prevent overheating. If active cooling of the inlet air is provided, then temperatures can be lowered and electrical distribution losses reduced. This novel study, the first looking at cable tunnels with District Heating, investigates the effect and impact of heat recovery. The work combines technical and economic modelling together with measured data from a case study and shows significant benefits with wide-scale replication potential. A finite element (FE) model, for heat dissipation in a section of cable tunnel together with a spreadsheet model has shown that up to 460 kW of heat can be delivered to the local heating network for a single cooling point. The study indicates savings of 570 kg CO 2 e and 4000 kWh (of combined heat and electrical energy) per metre of tunnel per annum with reduced operating costs. Given the widespread network of cable and other tunnels in major cities, close to numerous heat users, the application of these techniques has major financial and low-carbon benefits for the UK and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the food service sector is a major user of water, the potential for heat recovery from commercial kitchens' drain water remains largely unexplored. For the first time, we compare the life cycle environmental burdens of producing and installing a heat recovery system with the environmental credits arising from energy savings for a restaurant case study, and for the entire UK food service sector. Life Cycle Assessment was applied to determine the impacts of heat recovery systems made from different materials and comprising a heat exchanger in the shape of a concentric double-walled pipe, pipework and fittings. The design option with the smallest environmental footprint combined a heat exchanger made out of polypropylene-graphite (PP-GR) with polyethylene pipework, exhibiting 80–99% less environmental impact compared with components made out of (35% recycled) copper. Contrasting the environmental impacts of two heat recovery set-ups with energy savings shows that a PP-GR based system pays back all burdens of the seven assessed environmental impact categories, within two years, while payback times for the copper-based system vary depending on the replaced energy source, and can exceed the 10 year operational lifetime of the system. When looking at typical flow-rates in UK food outlets, net environmental savings can be realised across all analysed impact categories above a threshold water consumption of 555 L/day, using current technology. Extrapolation to the UK food service sector indicates annual greenhouse gas emission mitigation potential of about 500 Gg CO 2 equivalent. Image 1 • LCA on equipment for recovering heat from commercial kitchen's drain water. • Heat recovery from kitchen drain water could reduce UK GHG emissions. • Trade-off between climate change mitigation and resource depletion. • Heat exchanger from polypropylene-graphite preferable to copper device. • Full environmental payback achievable from 300 m3 water consumption per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel take on the energy-water nexus; exploring the coupling of renewable generation sources with drinking water distribution and wastewater collection assets that can store and release energy in response to temporal changes in residential heat demand. The paper presents the development of a simulation tool that uniquely integrates energy storage in drinking water reservoirs, heat recovery from sewers with wind turbine(s), solar photovoltaic panel(s) and a non-renewable source. Simulations at the scale of a 1000 household community and hourly intervals were used to find the optimal energy generation mix that minimises the total annual carbon emissions (embedded and operational). Three different locations in the UK were studied. Results show that the integrated idealised system is able to satisfy the heat demand for up to 63% of the time across a year with no carbon emissions, and reduce the annual associated C O 2 by 60% when compared to all heat demand being satisfied by natural gas. This work shows that adopting such an interlinked system at a typical neighbourhood scale could help the UK meet its carbon emission obligations by substantially reducing the 18% of the UK's C O 2 emission (currently estimated to be) related to domestic heat use. • Integrating water assets with renewable energy sources can considerably reduce supply-demand imbalance. • An integrated water asset-renewable energy system can reduce the annual C O 2 emissions from domestic heating by almost 60%. • In the UK, such an integrated system can satisfy domestic heat demand with no carbon emissions for 63% of the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A model for heat recovery via refrigeration with thermal storage is presented. • Model informs decision-makers of the potential the solution has in supermarkets. • Fossil fuel use can be displaced with a small increase in electricity costs (2–3%). • Annual energy demand reduction of 17–18% is feasible with such systems. • Thermal storage increases the potential of heat recovery by 11–12%. The large amount of recoverable heat from CO 2 refrigeration systems has led UK food retailers to examine the prospect of using refrigeration integrated heating and cooling systems to provide both the space heating and cooling to food cabinets in supermarkets. This study assesses the performance of a refrigeration integrated heating and cooling system installation with thermal storage in a UK supermarket. This is achieved by developing a thermal storage model and integrating it into a pre-existing CO 2 booster refrigeration model. Five scenarios involving different configurations and operation strategies are assessed to understand the techo-economic implications. The results indicate that the integrated heating and cooling system with thermal storage has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 17–18% and GHG emissions by 12–13% compared to conventional systems using a gas boiler for space heating. These reductions are achieved despite a marginal increase of 2–3% in annual operating costs. The maximum amount of heat that can be stored and utilised is constrained by the refrigeration system compressor capacity. These findings suggest that refrigeration integrated heating and cooling systems with thermal storage are a viable heating and cooling strategy that can significantly reduce the environmental footprint of supermarket space heating provision and under the adequate circumstances can forsake the use of conventional fossil-fuel (natural gas) boiler systems in food-retail buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is motivated by a research gap in the systemic implications that wider adoption of multiple micro-generation technologies may bring to interdependent infrastructures. It explores how the adoption of battery electric vehicles, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal water heating, rain water harvesting, grey water recycling, and waste heat recovery affect system-level consumption of water, gas, gasoline, electricity, CO 2 emissions, and electricity generation cost. The simulations based on a new agent-based model show that grey water recycling and rain water harvesting reduce water and solar thermal water heating and waste heat recovery reduce gas demand respectively. A wider adoption of battery electric vehicle and solar photovoltaics have no effect while a reduction in the number of gasoline cars and gas users leads to higher electricity consumption, CO 2 emissions, and electricity generation cost. The following policy implications are identified: grey water recycling and rain water harvesting should be actively promoted; improvements in the design and use of gas boilers may be better options than solar thermal water heating and waste heat recovery; battery electric vehicle should be adopted together with solar photovoltaics; solar photovoltaics should not be supported with feed-in-tariffs. If the last two implications are not addressed, then a more complementary electricity generation mix is necessary otherwise policies that promote replacement of gasoline cars by battery electric vehicles may result in negative systemic impacts. • Paper explores the effects a range of MGTs may bring on interdependent UK infrastructures. • An agent-based model was developed, tested, and simulations conducted. • Five implications for UK policy have been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Organic Rankine cycle engines are optimised for exhaust from stationary gas engines. • Two configurations are assessed using energy usage data for thirty buildings. • Use of jacket water increases power output by 20% but reduces project viability. • System with condenser heat supplied to building shows 3.5- to 7.5-year payback. For buildings with low heat-to-power demand ratios, the installation of internal combustion engines (ICEs) for the onsite provision of combined heat and power (CHP) results in large amounts of surplus heat. In the UK, such installations risk being ineligible for the CHP Quality Assurance (CHPQA) programme, thereby incurring additional levies. In this work, a technoeconomic optimisation of small-scale organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engines is performed, in which the ORC engines recover heat from the ICE exhaust gases in order to increase the overall efficiency of this combined solution and meet the CHPQA requirements. Two competing system configurations are assessed. In the first, the ORC engine also recovers heat from the CHP-ICE jacket water to generate additional power. In the second, the ORC engine operates at a higher condensing temperature, which prohibits jacket-water heat recovery but allows heat from the condenser to be delivered to the building. When optimised for minimum specific investment cost, the first configuration is initially found to deliver 20% more power (25.8 kW) at design conditions, and a minimum specific investment cost (1600 £/kW) that is 8% lower than the second configuration. However, the first configuration leads to less heat from the CHP-ICE being supplied to the building, increasing the cost of meeting the heat demand. By establishing part-load performance curves for both the CHP-ICE and ORC engines, the economic benefits from realistic operation can be evaluated. The present study goes beyond previous work by testing the configurations against a comprehensive database of real historical electricity and heating demand for thirty energy-intensive buildings at half-hour resolution. The discounted payback period for the second configuration is found to lie between 3.5 and 7.5 years for all of the buildings considered, while the first configuration is seen to recoup capital investment costs for only 23% of the buildings. The broad applicability of the second configuration offers attractive opportunities to increase manufacturing volumes and reduce unit costs. The findings are relevant to a range of buildings with heat-to-power demand ratios from 20% to 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the construction of a house which is designed to meet carbon dioxide emissions standards set for the year 2050 by the British government. Students at the University of Nottingham in England were invited to take part in the project. The four-bedroom, three-level house will be equipped with an earth-air heat exchanger system for greater thermal comfort, a water management system that will recycle shower water, rainwater harvesting, sun pipes for lighting, and a ventilation/heat recovery system. Students who will take part in this experiment will monitor all these features of the house.