Natural Power is the first and only organisation in Scotland to have secured a place on the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Certification Register of Heat Network Consultants as its Senior Renewable Heat Engineer, Steve Smith, has been officially accepted onto the Register.

This acceptance as a registered consultant is in recognition of Steves experience, training and examination on the Heat Networks: Code of Practice for the UK.

Andy Yuill, Senior Renewable Heat Manager at Natural Power, said: "Over the coming years we expect district heating networks to be a key area of focus in the renewable heat sector, with increasing activity in the UK. Steves acceptance on to the Register is hugely positive, and demonstrates that by continuing to invest in our people and their training we are committed to delivering the best possible service to our clients - ensuring we deliver best quality in line with the latest industry standards. Steves appointment to the Register will not only strengthens our foothold in the market, but reinforces our position as a leader in this technology."

The Code of Practice has been jointly developed between CIBSE and the Association for Decentralised Energy to ensure that district heating networks in the UK are designed, built and operated to a high standard. The Code of Practice sets best standards for the specification and development of district heating and can be used when specifying new projects or remedial works to existing district heating networks.

Phil Jones, Chair of CP1 Steering Committee, said: "It is great to see the Code of Practice being adopted by the sector - the standards in the Code of Practice, assessed by the trained professionals on the CIBSE register, can create a real step change in our industry."

District heat networks are a key component to reducing the carbon intensity of the heat used in industry and in homes. District heat networks are common place in continental Europe, where they enable individual sites to access decentralised sources of low carbon heat such as combined heat and power plants or recovered waste heat in a low cost and secure manner.

To ensure that the low cost and secure aspects of district heating are delivered to the end user, the heat network needs to be designed and operated correctly. The Heat Networks: Code of Practice for the UK builds on the experience of existing heat networks in the UK and abroad to provide a consistent set of standards to ensure that the growing district heating industry in the UK deploys new networks which are in line with best practice.

About Steve Smith

Steve is a senior engineer with experience of design, specification and installation of mechanical services systems and a range of technologies including building services, biomass, CHP, solar thermal, solar PV and district heating. In the 15 years he has worked in the renewables industry he has operated as an engineering manager overseeing the installation of biomass and solar PV systems. He has also completed roles as a designer and clients engineer for a number of CHP and district heating projects in the education, commercial and housing sectors.

About Natural Power

Natural Power is a leading independent renewable energy consultancy and products provider. The company offers proactive and integrated consultancy, management and due diligence services, backed by an innovative product range, across the onshore wind, offshore wind, wave, tidal, renewable heat, solar pv and hydro sectors, whilst maintaining a strong outlook on other new and emerging renewable energy sectors.

When it comes to renewable heat, our team has practical knowledge and experience in bioenergy technologies for heat, power and cogeneration applications. We provide expertise in every stage of the project development and plant operations lifecycle, including: site assessment, feedstock assessment, design and engineering, tendering for contractors, consenting, construction management and operational asset management. We have worked with clients the length and breadth of the UK as well as in Ireland and Germany.

Established in the mid 1990s, Natural Power has been at the heart of many groundbreaking projects, products and portfolios for more than two decades, assisting project developers, investors, manufacturers, research houses and other consulting companies. With its iconic Scottish headquarters, The Green House, Natural Power has expanded internationally and now employs 320 renewable energy experts.