GI Energy is helping Orkney Islands Council to achieve a 30% reduction in carbon footprint for four new key buildings simply by providing heating and cooling with Ground Source Heat Pump systems.
Such is the efficiency of this truly renewable form of energy that it will – on its own – deliver all of the 30% carbon savings target laid down by the Scottish Government for these public buildings.
By extracting the warmth stored naturally in the earth, Ground Source Heat Pump systems are many times more efficient than conventional central heating and can be used in reverse to provide cooling.
They are particularly effective when heating and cooling are combined throughout the year: heat extracted from the air inside the building during summer months can be returned to the ground for later use.
Performance data gathered over a year at GI Energy’s installation at One New Change in London shows that for every kilowatt of energy used to run the system, an average of 4.1 kilowatts of heating and cooling were produced.
In Orkney, where the island’s northerly and windswept location makes for long and cold winter nights and chilly days, the savings on fuel bills produced by Ground Source Heat Pump Systems are especially welcome. The island is off the gas grid.
Orkney Islands Council selected Ground Source Heat Pumps as the favoured method of heating and cooling for four buildings included in its Orkney Schools Investment Programme: Stromness Primary School, Kirkwall Grammar School, the Papdale Hall of Residence and Pickaquoy Leisure Centre.
The project marks a significant milestone for GI Energy – the completion of more than 200MW of Ground Source Heat Pump systems in the UK since its inception in 2000. This achievement cements the reputation of GI Energy as the market leader in the UK.
Some 200 pupils at the primary school in Stromness are already enjoying the benefits of underfloor heating fuelled by GI Energy’s Ground Source Heat Pump System in their new building that was opened in January 2013. In summer their rooms will be cooled by using the system in reverse.
At Kirkwall Grammar School, which is still under construction, the heating and cooling system has to cater for the 900-pupil building which includes a 350 seat theatre built to national performance criteria, in which the heating and cooling can be turned off independently of the rest of the building.
A similar system is being installed at the nearby Papdale Hall of Residence in Kirkwall, where pupils from more remote islands lodge. The existing hall is being completely replaced with a modern building positioned to catch as much of the late afternoon sun as possible.
At the Pickaquoy Leisure Centre, also in Kirkwall, a new competition standard 25 metre pool is being constructed, along with a leisure pool, spectators’ gallery, health suite, squash courts and multi-purpose hall. The heating and cooling will again be provided by a GI Energy Ground Source Heat Pump system.
John Mackintosh, of GI Energy, said: “Because they use the natural warmth stored underground in the earth Ground Source Heat Pump heating and cooling systems are extremely efficient and can easily deliver a 30% reduction in carbon footprint.
“They are also low-maintenance, require no fuel deliveries or storage space for fuel, and can be remotely monitored to ensure the optimal blend of heating and cooling at any one time.
“Obviously in Orkney, which is off the gas grid, and where oil, LPG and biomass would have to be shipped in from the mainland, the convenience of tapping into energy stored under your feet is considerable.
“However the carbon savings offered by Ground Source Heat Pumps are as attractive in central London as they are in Orkney, and equally as achievable.”
Ground Source Heat Pumps comprise a buried earth loop connected to a series of heat pumps. Liquid pumped through the loop extracts heat from the earth, which is then passed through the heat pump to raise its temperature of level high enough for central heating. Loops can be laid either horizontally close to the surface or vertically to considerable depth.
In Orkney, GI Energy drilled 180 boreholes to a depth of 150 metres underneath carparks and outdoor sports areas at the four sites. Together the four systems provide 1,480kW of heating and 130kW of cooling.
