King’s Cross is set to become a testbed for decarbonising heat this winter as UK Power Networks’ Heatropolis project aims to be a blueprint for heating homes and buildings using clean energy. 

The four-year project will explore how heat distribution systems can be designed to optimise the ways heat and electricity networks work together. This will involve three winter trials (2025-2027) across three key building models: a low-density residential heat network, a multi-occupancy building, and a large mixed-use site, with King's Cross serving as the benchmark for the latter. 

UK Power Networks, with partners including Metropolitan, Passiv UK and Guidehouse is using the former industrial site in one of the city’s largest redevelopments, home to several major corporations including Google, Meta and Universal Music, to perfect solutions to manage additional demand on local electricity networks in the most cost-effective way. It aims to reduce the costs of connecting and operating electrical heat networks by using flexibility to help manage peaks and troughs in supply and demand. 

The potential carbon savings are significant, with an estimated 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided through reduced electricity network reinforcement and a financial benefit of £70m by 2050 from deferring or avoiding unnecessary grid upgrades. 

Luca Grella, head of Innovation at UK Power Networks, said: “We are excited for the physical rollout of Heatropolis as it presents a unique opportunity to make sure the way we heat our homes and buildings is fit for the future. By integrating low-carbon technologies with advanced flexibility and control systems, we can significantly reduce peak demand on electricity networks, which will result in lower energy costs for consumers and contribute to a more sustainable energy future.” 

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