Aberdeen Heat & Power Ltd (AHP) is a ‘not for profit’ company that was set up by Aberdeen City Council in 2002 to develop and operate district heating and CHP systems in the city. The network has grown through implementation of three principal projects and now supplies around 1750 flats in multi story blocks and 9 public buildings. Carbon emissions from these buildings have reduced by 45% and typical fuel costs to tenants have been reduced by 50% over the previous heating systems. Customer satisfaction surveys have indicated that tenants are very satisfied. The schemes have received three high profile awards within Scotland and the UK. AHP continues to develop their District Heating network and has recently completed installing a £1m extension of underground mains towards the City Centre with the aim of providing heat to the Council’s Town House and other public buildings en-route including a health campus. AHP’s not-for-profit community-based governance structure is unique within the UK. AHP is exploring opportunities for greater fuel diversity from renewable sources including biomass. Furthermore, AHP and the Council have entered (14 May 2013) a partnership to install a fuel cell fed by bio-gas from a landfill site. The fuel cell will provide heat into the network, electricity and hydrogen for the Council’s vehicle fleet.
