Heat from HS2 brakes and engines could warm 500 new homes

Brakes and engines on 360km/h HS2 trains will provide heat and hot water to up to 500 new homes.

The plan, which was announced on Saturday, will see five air-source heat pumps draw warm air from the railway’s tunnels, instead of it seeping into the ground from traditional ventilation systems.

The project will revolve around a crossover box at Old Oak Common in London, the location for a new rail interchange expected to see 250,000 passengers every day. Trains travelling through the crossover box to reach or depart from any of the station’s platforms will push warm air from engines and brakes, acting like pistons. The air will then rise before it is harnessed by air-source heat pumps, used to heat water and transported to homes by insulated pipes.

Compared to gas boilers, the recycled heat could reduce the carbon footprint of 500 houses by 22%. HS2 Ltd, the government-funded company behind the £56bn high-speed railway, said the investment could pay for itself in four years.

“By taking a long-term view of how the benefits of investing in the high-speed railway can be shared, we’re investigating how to provide sustainable, low-carbon heating and hot water to up to 500 new homes,” said innovation manager Pablo García.

The Old Oak Common crossover box is the only place suitable for waste heat recovery on the first stretch of the controversial and delayed railway between London and the West Midlands, García said, but there might be further opportunities on the links to Leeds and Manchester.