A high performance Dimplex commercial ground source heat pump has been installed as part of a renewable energy initiative at Durham University.
Installed during a £16m refurbishment and extension of the university’s business school, the Dimplex SI75TE (three phase) 75kW heat pump provides a space heating solution to part of the building via three underfloor heating circuits.
The ground source heat pump was installed by Geowarmth Heat Pumps, a North East based installer which is MCS accredited in five technologies and has been installer partners of Dimplex since 2007.
With a target that 15% of the site’s energy demand should come from renewable technologies, the Dimplex ground source heat pump was chosen alongside solar PV. The Dimplex solution is compatible with underfloor heating and includes an on-board intelligent control system, which is ideal in large commercial premises. In total, the project’s Low and Zero Carbon (LZC) energy outcome was calculated at 13.9%, of which 12.1% was attributed to the Dimplex ground source heat pump.
The heat pump is located in a ground floor plant room alongside a twin coil 1,000 litre buffer tank, from where single flow and return pipework connects the heat pump to a manifold enclosure for 16 x 80 metre deep bore holes. Market leading flow regulators have also been used to ensure the most energy efficient performance.
Furthermore, the heat pump has been connected to the university’s Building Management System via a Modbus card.
John Withers from Geowarmth said: “This is the third time we have worked with Durham University so we understood the needs of the client right from the offset. Their latest construction project marks the university’s move towards more sustainable energy solutions, and the market leading commercial ground source heat pump from Dimplex is ideal for buildings of this size.”
The multi-million pound refurbishment and extension of Durham University’s business school was shortlisted in the 2014 Construction Excellence Awards, North East region.
