Altecnic & Hemiko – London, UK

Background

Springfield Village is a landmark regeneration project transforming the former Springfield University Hospital site in South West London into a mixed-use residential community. The development brings together new-build housing, refurbished heritage buildings, healthcare facilities and supported living accommodation, all connected by a single district heat network.

At the heart of the scheme is the sensitive conversion of a Grade II listed Victorian hospital building, originally constructed in 1844, alongside the delivery of modern houses and apartments built to contemporary performance standards. This combination created a diverse range of thermal demands, system layouts and occupancy profiles across the site.

Hemiko was appointed to design, build, operate and maintain the district heating network, with a long-term focus on energy efficiency, reliability and decarbonisation. To achieve this, the heat network needed to support phased development, multiple delivery partners, and long-term performance monitoring, all while ensuring residents and commercial occupants received consistent, reliable heat and hot water.

Selecting the right heat interface units (HIUs) was therefore critical to the success of the project, particularly in balancing the needs of modern energy-efficient homes with the constraints of historic building fabric. Altecnic was selected as the partner to help fulfil this requirement, and deliver a solution

 

The Challenge

Delivering a district heat network at Springfield Village presented a number of technical and operational challenges. The scheme combines new-build homes designed to modern efficiency standards with the retrofit of a Grade II listed Victorian hospital building, where heat losses, fabric constraints and system limitations are more complex.

In total, the network needed to reliably serve:

• Over 1,200 residential units
• Two NHS hospital buildings
• A care home
• A 12km distribution network, delivered across multiple project phases

Hemiko required a heat interface solution that could adapt to varying building types, support different emitter systems, including radiators and underfloor heating, and operate efficiently within a centralised district heating environment.

With this, a key performance priority was achieving low return temperatures, essential for protecting district network efficiency, maintaining plant performance, and supporting long-term carbon reduction targets. This required HIUs that could deliver accurate control, stable domestic hot water delivery, and responsive heating performance across a wide range of operating conditions.

In addition, the scale of the project and the involvement of multiple developers, including London Square, Barratt Homes City & Country, meant the HIUs needed to be easy to configure, commission and support, while also providing access to high-quality performance data for ongoing monitoring and optimisation.

 

The Solution

Hemiko worked closely with Altecnic to specify heat interface units that could meet the varied requirements and challenges of the Springfield Village development. Building on an established relationship that began in 2020/21, Altecnic supplied a combination of SATK32 Indirect and SATK22 Direct HIUs across the site.

SATK32 Indirect HIUs

The SATK32 Indirect HIUs were installed within the modern residential developments, where they support a mix of radiator and underfloor heating systems.

The units were selected for their:

• Indirect twin-plate design, providing hydraulic separation
• Ability to deliver instantaneous domestic hot water and space heating
• Flexibility to operate at higher temperatures, even for underfloor heating
• Advanced electronic controls for precise modulation of temperature and flow

The flexibility of the SATK32 made configuration straightforward, and Altecnic provided training to ensure engineers could commission and support the units efficiently. Where required, Altecnic’s technical team supported commissioning through responsive phone support and remote firmware updates.

SATK22 Direct HIUs

For the refurbishment of the historic hospital building, converted into 200 residential apartments, the SATK22 Direct HIUs were specified to address the challenges associated with older building fabric and higher heat losses.

A key advantage of the SATK22 was its MODBUS connectivity, enabling a two-way digital link between the HIUs and the Building Management System (BMS). This allows:

• Remote monitoring of system performance
• Configuration adjustments without site visits
• Faster fault diagnosis and resolution

This level of visibility and control proved invaluable in maintaining stable operation while protecting the wider heat network.

 

Why Altecnic?

Hemiko selected Altecnic for its expertise in heat networks, reliable product performance, and capability for MODBUS connection.

The availability and quality of performance data from Altecnic’s HIUs has been a major benefit for the Springfield commissioning team. Unlike other systems, where accessing data can take days, Altecnic’s solution provides fast, easy access, enabling proactive problem solving and tighter control of return temperatures.

This approach helps to protect the network, improve efficiency and support long-term operational performance.

 

The Results

Altecnic’s HIUs have played a key role in the successful delivery of the Springfield Village district heating network. The project has demonstrated how a carefully specified HIU strategy can support both modern new-build homes and complex heritage refurbishments within a single, efficient network.

To date, Altecnic has supplied and supported the installation of:

• 264 SATK32 Indirect HIUs across the new-build residential areas
• 224 SATK22 Direct HIUs within the refurbished hospital building apartments

Key outcomes include:

• Reliable heat and hot water delivery across a diverse building portfolio
• Improved control of return temperatures to protect network efficiency
• Enhanced visibility of system performance through MODBUS connectivity
• Reduced commissioning and fault-finding time through accessible data

 

A Trusted Partnership

Springfield Village is a large, multi-phase project, and Altecnic’s technical support and aftersales service have been a consistent strength throughout delivery. On-site support, training and responsive technical assistance have helped Hemiko maintain progress across each phase of the development.

As a result, the project has led to multiple further partnerships between Hemiko and Altecnic.

Balasubramaniam Sathees, Commissioning Manager, Hemiko commented on the support from Altecnic, “Altecnic’s solutions driven approach to this partnership has helped us to deliver this complex project, which has such varying demands. The adaptability of the HIU controls and the quality of performance data available from Altecnic’s HIUs has been a real advantage for our commissioning team. It gives us the depth we need for proactive problem solving and helps us keep return temperatures under control to protect the network.”

“On top of this, Altecnic’s technical support has been excellent, with them consistently very hands-on, quick to respond, and always available to help, whether that’s on site, over the phone, or through remote firmware updates.”