Greenstore transforms heating at school

Worcester, Bosch Group, has donated two Greenstore ground source heat pumps to Coombe Dean Secondary School in Plymouth to help improve the energy efficiency of a new teaching block.

The brand new sustainable teaching block at Coombe Dean School was officially opened on the 4th October 2007 by Leigh Risbey, director of sales for renewable technologies for Worcester, and is now fully up and running for classes.

The installation was facilitated by one of Worcester's long standing installer customers, Dave Salmon, whose children attend the school.

Dave approached Worcester to see if they could help by contributing equipment for the new extension and having got the go-ahead, arrangements were made for work to be carried out by another of Worcester's recommended installers, Martin Perrin of United Heating.

The project saw one Greenstore system and one Greenstore combination ground source heat pump combined with underfloor heating.

The installation utilised a vertical collection system using five bore holes, each 75 metres deep.

Since completion, Worcester's Greenstore ground source heat pumps are now efficiently meeting the heating and hot water demands of the single story English block, which accommodates six classrooms, office facilities and two toilets.

Leigh Risbey said: "I feel very proud to have officially opened the new building and to be part of a project that seeks to show young people the importance of sustainable living and renewable technologies.

"In addition to the Greenstore ground source heat pumps, this new facility has additional sustainable design solutions, such as natural ventilation and lighting.

These innovations will not only reduce the school's carbon footprint but help to create an open and welcoming environment that is a pleasure to teach and learn in".

The new teaching block is part of an GBP1 million investment in the school's facilities and it replaces six temporary classrooms, which had been at the school since the 1970s.

Headteacher Pattrick Frean said: "The project has provided an excellent opportunity for the school to embrace the environmental agenda and we will look for opportunities to incorporate this into teaching and learning at Coombe Dean.

We are looking forward to leading the way in sustainable development and education for our students, staff and the local community".

To ensure all the students are familiar with ground source heat pump technology, Worcester has provided display boards that detail how the heat pumps work.

Worcester is also planning to supply Perspex covers for the heat pumps, so students will be able to see inside the whist they are in action.

Efficiency monitors will also be fitted, so the children will be able to see how much energy the heat pumps are providing.

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