New school reaps benefits of heat pumps

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Sep 4, 2008

New Priory Rise School in Milton Keynes are enjoying the benefits of renewable energy provided by heat pumps supplied and installed by Danfoss Heat Pumps UK, formerly ECO Heat Pumps.

The new multi-million pound primary school has all its heating and hot water needs provided by a ground source heat pump, as part of the school's commitment to environmental sustainability.

Heat pumps were chosen as they enabled the school to meet its BREEAM targets, where ten per cent of its energy requirements could be provided by renewable sources.

Milton Keynes Council had reviewed other renewable energy systems, such as photovoltaics and wind turbines and found heat pumps to be the most effective.

Kath Cook, Capital Development Officer for Milton Keynes Council, said: "We carefully researched which type of renewable system would work best for the school and heat pumps came out top".

"Sustainability and environmental stewardship is an important part of our ethos and the heat pump will deliver more affordable heating, whilst reducing the carbon footprint for the school." Danfoss Heat Pumps UK, based in Sheffield, designed and installed the heat pump system for the 420 pupil school, which is at the centre of a new community development.

The system involved 10 x 100m deep boreholes which were drilled in the school grounds.

The area has since been landscaped and now provides 'hidden heating' that will reduce the school's heating bills as well as minimising its impact on the environment.

The heat pump will serve a sophisticated underfloor heating system, providing comfortable and affordable heating all the year round.

The heat pumps are part of a complete range of environmental measures at the school, which includes a biodiverse roof, energy efficient cavity wall and roof insulation.

Phil Moore, Managing Director of Danfoss Heat Pumps UK, said: "Many schools are recognising the benefits of choosing heat pumps, both from a sustainability and economic point of view".

"The local authority had very specific requirements for their heating and energy needs as part of creating a building that promoted sustainability and good environmental practice".

"The school sets a great example and should lead to more educational and public buildings being created in a way that will benefit future generations." The purpose of a heat pump is to absorb heat in one place and then transport it to another location, where it can be used for space or water heating.

They work on the principle that hot moves to cold and can be used to heat the inside of a building during winter or, by reversing the process, cooling in summer.

They are effective all year round, day and night by extracting low grade heat from the ground and transferring it through a mix of water and antifreeze in the buried pipes into the building's heating circuit and hot water tank.

The Danfoss Heat Pump System is designed to achieve Coefficiency of Performance (COP) of 4:1, this means for every unit of electricity used, the heat pump will delivery four times that in energy output, bringing the new building well within the carbon emission regulations.

It is possible to save up to 75 per cent on running costs compared to conventional systems, which means a heat pump typically pays for itself in five to ten years.

Grants are available for public buildings through the low carbon buildings programme phase 2.

More advice can be found on the website www.ecoheatpumps.co.uk or by calling 0114 2703900.