Heat network specialist Switch2 Energy will help design a smart local energy system in Cheshire, following a £21m funding announcement from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Saltaire-based Switch2 Energy has been selected as a partner in Project Rewire-NW, which is one of ten ground-breaking UK clean energy projects to share in the funding.

Rewire-NW, which is led by community energy and sustainability charity Pure Leapfrog, will design a Smart Local Energy System for Warrington, which has the future potential to be rolled out beyond Cheshire to other parts of the UK.

The £2.8m, two-year initiative will be jointly funded by UKRI and 12 project partners, including Switch2 and organisations from the energy industry, local government and academia.

Together, they  will assess ways of optimising the current energy infrastructure in Warrington, and bring forward proposals to adapt it to be able to deliver average cost savings of 25% and create a pathway to net-zero.

Switch2 will be part of the team that explores feasibility and design of a local heat network. This will be a key component of Rewire-NW, which will address the whole energy system across the entire Warrington borough, including energy heat and transport.

By using 5G and data-centric intelligence, the project will drive the local energy systems towards lower costs and lower carbon outcomes.

More