Heating the Future: Innovation and Collaboration for Heat Networks and Large-Scale Heat Pumps in Scotland

Vince started his 45-year career in Building Services Engineering as an Apprentice Electrician at Royal Mail, later becoming a Chartered Engineer after completing a part-time degree. He held key roles at Royal Mail and National Design Consultancy (NDC), where he served as a Director for the London practice for nearly 20 years.

With experience spanning design, project management, maintenance and statutory compliance, Vince has managed multi-site projects across the UK for both public and private sectors. 
A CIBSE member since 1998, he has been deeply involved in mentoring and training engineers, serving as Chair of the Membership and Registration Panel for over 12 years, and holding multiple leadership roles within CIBSE and the Engineering Council. He joined the CIBSE Board in 2020.

Vince is passionate about developing young talent in the industry and chairs the Apprentice of the Year Judging Panel. He is also active in health and safety initiatives, particularly in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and serves as a CIBSE technical trainer.

Unit Head of Heat Networks, Local Government & Public Sector Policy Unit, Scottish Government

James is Unit Head of the Heat Networks, Local Government & Public Sector Policy Unit within the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings programme.

James and his colleagues have supported the production of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) by Scotland’s local authorities, the passage of heat network legislation, and the ongoing development of further legislation in this space.

Edinburgh LHEES Project Manager, Edinburgh City Council

Hilary is a Project Manager at the City of Edinburgh Council and is responsible for delivering and monitoring the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and actions within the associated Delivery Plan. This includes supporting the development of heat networks in Edinburgh and leading the Council’s registration of its communal heat networks with Ofgem. 

CTO - Ground Source & Ambient HNs ADE
Director - GSHP Ltd
Executive Author - CIBSE

Ken Gordon is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over 40 years’ experience delivering complex energy, water and thermal infrastructure across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

He is currently Chief Technology Officer for Low Temperature Heat Networks at ADE: Heat Networks, where he leads the development of national technical standards for Shared Ground Loops, Ambient Heat Networks and cooling networks, working closely with DESNZ, Ofgem and industry to enable large-scale deployment.

Ken is the Principal Author of CIBSE TM51 on ground and water source heat pumps and a recognised contributor to UK policy and regulatory frameworks including HNTAS. He is a qualified Retrofit Coordinator under PAS 2035 and contributor to the CIBSE underfloor heating design guide.

His work spans the integration of geothermal systems, both shallow and deep, into building heating and cooling through low-temperature design. He advocates a just transition from oil and gas into geothermal, applying established offshore skills and disciplines to the delivery of reliable heat networks.

He previously served as Chief Executive of the Ground Source Heat Pump Association and has held senior engineering and technical authority roles in the offshore energy sector, responsible for safety-critical mechanical systems.

Associate Director, Scottish Futures Trust

Kevin Waters is an Associate Director within the Net Zero Buildings team at Scottish Futures Trust. Working alongside colleagues from Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland as part of the Heat Network Support Unit (HNSU), Kevin supports the growth of large-scale heat network projects in Scotland, helping organisations navigate the key challenges in the pre-capital stages of development. A project and programme management professional with over 20 years' experience across multiple sectors, Kevin has predominantly focused on delivering major infrastructure and renewable energy projects within the public sector.

Senior Energy Engineer, Buro Happold

Helen is a Senior Energy Engineer working on the design of low carbon energy systems, including energy centre design, heat recovery integration and feasibility studies for district heat networks. Her work encompasses controls development, techno‑economic assessment and modelling to support decarbonisation strategies. She previously worked on delivering automated vertical farming solutions across multiple international projects. Helen is a Chartered Engineer and holds an MSc in Building Services Engineering.

Director of Green Heat Network Fund, Triple Point

Senior Specialist, Sweco DK

Thomas Dam Leth is a Senior Specialist at Sweco Denmark, working with industrial heat pump and energy system projects. He has a technically strong profile with extensive experience in the design, optimisation, and delivery of complex heat pump solutions using natural refrigerants, particularly within heat recovery. Thomas holds an MSc in Engineering from Aalborg University and has worked across the full project lifecycle, including design, performance verification, and commissioning.

Sustainability Lead - Scotland, Turner & Townsend

Heat Networks Specialist

Ken has delivered various government programmes including Scottish Government’s district heating loan fund, and warm homes (projects) fund. With over 25 years’ experience in the housing and environmental sector, his main focus has been to support the development of robust customer focused heat networks. Ken has recently worked with the Danish Embassy and the Danish Energy Agency exploring district heating potential out-with UK cities and has an advisory role with various community bodies, including being a trustee with Clean Heat Edinburgh Forum (CHEF).

Independent Policy Consultant

Helen is an independent policy consultant working in the heat and energy sectors. Helen has over ten years of energy industry experience, formerly leading the heat and solar brief at Scottish Renewables, advocating on behalf of their members. She also has fuel poverty policy experience from working at Energy Action Scotland as their policy and research officer. Helen is now a founding director and policy lead at Heat Network Scotland, the new member organisation championing the development of heat networks in Scotland.

Associate Energy Engineer, Buro Happold

Orestis has over 9 years of academic and commercial experience in energy systems modelling. He is a Chartered Associate Energy Engineer at Buro Happold, with a background as a PhD researcher and Research Associate at the University of Glasgow specialising in urban energy decarbonisation and district energy systems.