Econic is proud to announce that they are commencing work on an innovative ground connected heating system for the new Dixons Allerton Academy building in Bradford. The ground source heat pump being installed will collect energy from the ground in an exciting new way using a unique `modulating’ ground collector which has been designed by Econic Specialists. Not only is this the first of its kind in the UK but it will also offer a higher level of performance than conventional systems.
“As science is one of the Academy’s specialisms we’re thrilled to be able to incorporate such a leading edge, low carbon heating system into the project design.” said Principal Rachel Kidd.
“It’s been great for us to find a client who is so committed to using the latest technology. This system has been designed to offer an improvement of 15-20% efficiency over conventional GSHP systems” said Rob Gardiner Managing Director at Econic.
“We’ve been working closely with Wates and the Academy project team to develop this UK first technology for a while now and we look forward to delivering the system in the coming months.”
David Price, Business Unit Director for Wates Construction, Yorkshire, commented: “Work on Dixons Allerton Academy is now well underway and we are pleased to accommodate Econic in its delivery of such a pioneering component of the new building. We pride ourselves in our flexibility when working with specialist contractors to ensure the most innovative technology solutions are implemented across our projects.”
Ground source heat pumps collect energy from the ground via a network of pipes buried in trenches or deep boreholes. This so-called “low grade energy” is then elevated in temperature by the heat pump system and used to provide heating to the building. In conventional GSHP systems the ground collector is of a fixed size, designed to cope with the maximum heating demand of the building. The flow rate around the borehole collector remains the same irrespective of the demand for heating or cooling from the building. For much of the year however a smaller borehole array would suffice.
Econic’s new modulating approach is intelligent. It uses the fact that the ground temperature varies in zones within the borehole field depending upon the arrangement of the boreholes, time of year and whether the system is predominantly heating, cooling or both. The fluid temperature within the boreholes is monitored and depending upon the building demand at any one time for heating, cooling or simultaneous heating and cooling the zone of the borehole array with the most suitable fluid temperature is selected in order that the heat pump provides the most efficient output. The flow of each section of the borehole array is controlled by a series of dedicated circulation pumps rather than a single pump providing circulation around the entire borehole array. Therefore, when only small sections of the borehole array are being used, less power is consumed, again providing further efficiencies to the system. It is anticipated that the system will be a least 15% more efficient than a standard GSHP installation providing combined heating and cooling efficiencies of up to 1000%.
The efficiency improvement will mean greater carbon savings for the Academy which will help them achieve the BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating they are looking for on the new building. In addition running costs will be lower than they otherwise would be. Taking into account the financial support available for GSHP systems under the Government’s new Renewable Heat Incentive scheme the system should pay for itself in less than ten years.
The new building is being built on the site of the existing Academy, formerly Rhodesway School. It will be ready for the new school year in September 2013. The £29 million project, which is being carried out by Wates Construction on behalf of Local Education Partnership, Integrated Bradford, will cater for 1,900 children from nursery through to secondary age. The new facilities will also be available for wider community use.
You can follow the build progress on the Academy’s project blog at: http://www.dixonsaa.com/newbuild/
Econic is part of the Myriad CEG group of Companies. Myriad CEG is the UK’s leading on-site renewable energy specialist. In addition to heat pumps the group also provides biomass heating systems, wind turbines and solar PV systems. For more information see www.myriadceg.com