The Linen Quarter, which is bringing new build and restoration homes to the Grade-A listed former Pilmuir Works in Dunfermline, is now successfully part of the town’s pioneering district heating system.

Its connection required drilling under pressure into the ‘hot tap’, a procedure more akin to the oil and gas industries and requiring specialist expertise.  

As a result, those moving into apartments at The Linen Quarter will benefit from heating that is primarily sourced from 100% local green energy, as opposed to a gas network that requires under-sea drilling and hundreds of miles of transportation.

Dan Multon, director with Byzantian, the heritage developer behind the project, said: “This is a milestone moment for The Linen Quarter and a clear indicator that Scotland is moving to renewable energy sources.

“The benefits of this scheme are substantial, for residents, the environment and the wider Fife economy. It demonstrates that The Linen Quarter is something different, the regeneration of Scotland’s industrial heritage and the movement towards carbon neutral development, a first for private residential development in Scotland.”

The Dunfermline District Heating System launched in 2010 and serves a mixture of residential, leisure, social and retail properties within the town.

Its source is Dunfermline Recycling Centre, with heat primarily from degrading waste, and in winter supplemented by a wood chip boiler, supplying a network of underground pipes carrying hot water.

In connecting, The Linen Quarter becomes the largest private development to join the green energy scheme, which is run by Fife Council, with revenue generated bringing economic and social benefits to the local area.

Jonathan Coppock, mechanical engineer with Fife Council, said: “It has been a privilege to work with Byzantian on this prestigious and exciting development. Fife Council, from the early feasibility stage, worked alongside the Byzantian project team to ensure that district heating was the right solution for the development.

“We maintained involvement during the construction phase, offering both technical and legal assistance, to help streamline the process. The Linen Quarter is a valuable addition to the Dunfermline Community Energy Scheme and helps towards achieving Scotland’s ambition to decarbonise heat.”

For customers, the day to day benefits include reduced energy bills, monitored by an Ombudsman, as well as a reduction in system maintenance costs, removing the servicing repairs and insurance associated with gas boilers.

It also ensures that the properties deliver on renewable energy targets without the need to install costly PV-solar panels – which would have been unviable on the Grade-A restoration in particular.

District heating also has a key role to play in the Scottish Government’s vision of a largely decarbonised heating sector by 2045.