NEW REPORT: THE HEAT SHARING CITY

The future of urban heat is shared.

Urban areas need a different approach to low-carbon heating. Space is limited, noise matters, grid capacity is constrained, and heating and cooling demands increasingly overlap.

Our new report ‘The Heat Sharing City’ brings together perspectives from across the housing, engineering and heat sectors. It explores how connected heat pumps, ambient heat networks, thermal storage and intelligent controls can change the way urban buildings use and share energy. Written for developers, engineers, consultants and specifiers working on dense residential and mixed-use schemes, the report includes practical guidance and tools to test your next urban scheme, including a six-step route to delivery.

Download ‘The Heat Sharing City’ to explore how to create more efficient, resilient and sustainable urban energy infrastructure.

Achieving connected urban infrastructure

THE CHALLENGE

Individual boiler replacement is just the start

Swapping a gas boiler for a heat pump cuts emissions in one home. It doesn't recover heat from the building next door, balance heating and cooling, or reduce peak demand. The report explains why connected heat pumps are the first stage of the transition to smart heat networks.

THE ENABLING LAYER

Connectivity makes shared heat possible

Without visibility and control, heat pumps remain individual pieces of equipment. With them, they become part of a managed system that can detect faults early, shift demand away from peak periods and adapt over time. The report shows why connectivity belongs in the equipment brief from day one, not bolted on later.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Shared heat, in new build and retrofit

Ambient loops let buildings that need heat to draw from them, while buildings that need cooling to reject heat back into them. The report explores how this works across new schemes, retrofitting existing estates and older heat networks, and why systems should be judged on how they perform in year fifteen, not just on day one.

THE DELIVERY

From opportunity to implementation

A heat-sharing network is a piece of urban infrastructure, not a larger heating system. The report sets out a staged route from mapping the place to detailed design and examines the commercial and organisational models shared infrastructure needs, from who leads, to who owns, operates and who answers for long-term performance.

FAQs

Questions about the report

Who is the report for?

Developers, building services engineers, consultants, architects and specifiers working on dense residential and mixed-use schemes. It will also be useful to landlords, local authorities, network operators and investors involved in urban heat infrastructure.

Does it cover existing buildings, or only new build?

Both. Four in five homes that will be occupied in 2050 have already been built, so the report gives retrofit, refurbishment and existing heat networks the same weight as new development.

Does the report argue that every urban scheme should use a heat network?

No. In many places individual heat pumps will be the right answer. The conclusion is not that every building needs to join a heat network. It is that we should stop assuming every building must solve its energy needs alone, so every urban scheme should test whether heat can be shared, recovered or stored before committing to a design.

What is an ambient loop?

A shared low-temperature water network that can move usable energy between buildings, with local heat pumps providing the temperatures needed for heating and hot water.

Why does the report cover cooling as well as heating?

Hotter summers are changing the brief for UK homes. Days above 30°C and nights above 18°C in Greater London have more than quadrupled since 1961–1990. In a connected system, heating and cooling become linked parts of the same problem rather than separate ones.

Can I discuss a project with Qvantum?

Yes. Our team supports projects from early feasibility through to detailed design, and can help you test whether a shared or individual system is the right fit for your site. Contact us to discuss your project

Test heat sharing on your next scheme, early

The best time to decide how heat will work is before layout, plant space and specification are fixed. If you're assessing options for an upcoming urban development or refurbishment, Qvantum can help you compare individual, communal and shared approaches and understand the trade-offs before you commit.