Nottinghamshire Live
Summary
A scheme which could bring heavily discounted heating to parts of Nottingham has been given initial pilot funding.
It would become one of the first of its kind in the country, and if initial trials are successful it could be replicated near the dozens of former coal mine sites dotted throughout Nottingham and Notts.
When the mines were closed, many of them flooded with water. Because they are so deep underground, this water is significantly warmer.
The bold idea is to pump that water to the surface using low or zero-carbon renewable energy, then to use the heat from it to heat fresh water which is then pumped to people’s homes for hot water and central heating.
It is thought the water 150 metres under Nottingham will be between 21 and 26 degrees.
When the water is not hot enough, additional heat could be added fusing the houses’ existing heating system.
The idea has been in the pipeline for several months, but now £110,000 has been pledged by outside bodies for Nottingham City Council to oversee the feasibility studies.
Part of this - £10,000 - will go to the Coal Authority, who themselves will contribute to the feasibility study, which will involve drilling small bore holes and analysing the findings.
The Nottingham team behind the project believes because the water is so far underground, its temperature will be barely affected by the seasons, meaning it is almost exactly as hot in winter as it is in summer.
The first houses earmarked to benefit from the project are at least 60 Nottingham City Homes properties in the Crabtree Farm area, in Bulwell, near the former Babbington Colliery - which like most mines now has an extensive network of flooded tunnels.
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