Ener-G super-sizes low carbon heat pumps for OU 10 October 2011

The UK's largest closed loop ground source gas absorption heat pump installation is now proving itself by providing plentiful low carbon heat at the Open University in Milton Keynes.

The heat pumps, supplied by Ener-G working in partnership with mechanical and electrical contractor Rushmoor Mechanical Services, have been installed at Building 12, part of the Walton Hall campus.

The new building, which opened earlier this year, is targeting a BREEAM Outstanding rating. It incorporates natural ventilation, night time cooling, solar chimneys, automatic lighting controls, a green roof, solar water heating and photovoltaic panels.

Ener -G drilled 13 boreholes to a depth of more than 100 metres and installed a ground loop system that feeds four gas absorption heat pumps, with a combined capacity of 140kW heat output. This is now supplying the building's heating requirements, achieving claimed carbon dioxide savings of 45%, compared to a condensing boiler.

"Sustainability and carbon reduction are at the core of our development principles and the heat pumps are working very effectively to deliver a plentiful source of low carbon heat," states Alan Burrell, director of estates at the OU.

"We are delighted to deliver a project of this size," comments Paul Burley, managing director of Ener-G Sustainable Technologies. "It demonstrates the effectiveness of the technology in supplying reliable, affordable low carbon heat. The education sector is championing the uptake of heat pumps in the UK, providing an important showcase for this fast growing sector."

Most of the UK's gas absorption heat pump installations are air-sourced, using a gas burner to drive the refrigeration cycle, which draws energy from the surrounding ambient air to significantly boost the thermal output of the gas. The energy can then be used to supply low-temperature hot water for space heating and/or for the production of hot water via an indirect cylinder, similar to a traditional boiler.

Ground-source gas-absorption heat pumps are based on the same principle, but the solar energy absorbed by the earth is harnessed by the ground loop, and enhanced by the refrigeration cycle and the heat generated by burning the gas, to produce very high fuel efficiencies.

Brian Tinham

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