Pilots

We will prepare and deliver a series of investments in sustainable heating solutions in different types of residential and community buildings. These pilot investments will be delivered on buildings owned by SHIFFT partners and will be jointly planned, designed, implemented and evaluated by the partnership. The aim of Work Package 3 led by the Places for People Group is to:
      • achieve a significant reduction in the CO2 emissions from heating of involved buildings;
      • demonstrate and compare a range of possible sustainable heating technologies and solutions for various residential and community building types, as input for SHIFFT Guidance for other cities to accelerate the transition to sustainable heating;
      • demonstrate the potential and underline the urgency of changing to sustainable heating at community level, to support the engagement and co-creation process with residents and local stakeholders in co-creation pilots at neighbourhood level in our partner cities.
Pilot buildings have been identified in coordination between the partners, to represent a range of complementary residential and community buildings in all 2 Seas countries. Each pilot investment involves different combinations of sustainable heating technology solutions at different scales of application. The diversity of the pilots allows us to make a comprehensive analysis and comparison of these different solutions and building types in different countries. Based on this we can make robust recommendations for other cities and community groups for their future sustainable heating investments.  The pilots target the following types of buildings and sustainable heating solutions & technologies:
  • Residential, family homes – Heat batteries combined with insulation (Places for People / Norwich, UK)
  • Social Housing, Mahatma Gandhi district - Combination of technologies [to be determined as part of pilot] (Mechelen, BE)
  • Community buildings, social hub, cinema, library, theatre – Heat supply network with wood-boiler (Fourmies, F)
  • Community building, hub for non-profits - Combination of technologies [to be determined as part of pilot] (Middelburg, NL)
Roles of partners:
    • WP lead, coordination of cross-border pilot work: Places for People
    • Pilot hosts: Mechelen, Middelburg, Fourmies, Places for People
    • Scientific team for pilot evaluation: CD2E, TUDelft, Exeter university
    • Cross-border input for pilots & evaluation: all partners, observers

01. Social Housing: Gandhi District Mechelen BE (Woonpunt Mechelen)

The Mahatmi Gandhi neighbourhood is a social housing neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of the city of Mechelen.

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02. Cultural Heat Network: Ville de Fourmies FR

The pilot is located in the heart of Fourmies and involves 5 community buildings: a ‘Smart Commercial Space’ (social hub with Fab Lab, coworking space, music school, restaurant…), city municipal office, theatre, city education administration office and a museum. These buildings and adjacent car park are owned by the city. This layout is very well adapted to create a heat[...]

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03. Renewable Battery Stored Heating : Norwich UK (Cotman Housing Association)

This pilot concerns a 12 flat residential unit block in Norwich (UK). The property is occupied as a domestic violence refuge for women and children. There is a very high demand for the accommodation. The support is managed by a local charity, Leeway, but tenancies are held with Cotman Housing Association (part of the Places for People Group) and we[...]

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04. Municipal building Arnemuiden: Middelburg NL

In 2016, the Dutch government decided that an important part of the energy transition must be implemented in the built environment by disconnecting houses and community buildings from the gas grid in the next 3 decades. To realise this, a gigantic conversion of our heating infrastructure is needed at a high pace. In Middelburg we […]

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