School pool goes to top of the class for energy efficiency

The energy costs of the swimming pool hall at Oundle School in Northamptonshire have been halved following the installation of a ventilation heat-recovery system designed by Calorex heat pumps. Despite higher fuel prices, running costs have been halved to £11 000 a year. Energy usage has been reduced by a third and emissions of carbon dioxide by over 45% to 224 t a year. The unusually sized pool (43.5 x 10.5 m) is used from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. by the school, swimming clubs and community groups, and the pool water is maintained at a constant 29°C. The work was carried out by EPS of Essex, which also installed a recuperator-based system for the changing rooms that draws back air that had previously been dumped through the extractors. EPS also installed a Calorex HRD and a new return-air duct to recirculate air. HRD systems remove water vapour from the air, collect its latent heat and use it to heat water and air, minimising energy costs. The pool heating was originally a total-loss system with roof fans and variable-speed supply fans. The changing-room system was fixed-speed, total loss, with roof extractors. John Scott of EPS tells us, ‘The savings are all achieved with the added value of better conditions in pool and changing rooms, more hot-water usage and a marginally increased changing area/lobby size.’

Related links:

• www.calorex.com