Groundwater provides renewable energy for underfloor heating and cooling

19 February, 2006

Renewable energy for underfloor heating and cooling in this school in Holland is provided by groundwater.

Renewable energy from an underground aquifer serves an underfloor heating/cooling system in a recently completed school project in Holland. The Velta Contec system serves an area of 14 600 m2 in the Harlemmermeer Lyceum at Hoofddorp near Rotterdam. The aquifer contains both hot and cold water at different levels, and the underfloor system is connected via a network of manifolds to the school’s mono-well, which draws hot or cold water to pass through a plate heat exchanger. There were two major phases: 12 000 m2 for the school and 2600 m2 for the library. For some parts of the system the Velta Contec core pipes were placed in pre-cast concrete sections. For other parts, they were located in concrete slabs cast in situ. The system has a high degree of self regulation and operates successfully without individual room thermostats. Geradl Kemp, Velta’s managing director in the UK says, I have visited this project and was impressed not only by the simplicity of the pumped ground water system but also by the project’s active solar-shading panels and feature acoustic panels. ‘I think it could be a great reference project for similar schemes in the UK. The environment within the school in summer was very pleasant, and the weather in Holland has a similar profile to that of the UK.’

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