Eco Centre goes to ground for its heating

A ground-source heat pump provides space heating for the Eco visitor centre in Southport, which is the terminus for the park-and-ride service and a showcase and teaching centre explaining sustainable construction and renewable energy. Over 500 000 visitors a year are expected. A Viessmann Vitocal heat pump serving an underfloor heating system provides heating for the teaching areas, staff rest rooms, facilities and offices. The heat-pump system was fitted by local installer Multiserv, and the ground-boring work was carried out by Geoscience. There are eight boreholes, each 28 m deep. Multiserv chose a 10 kW heat pump, supplemented with a 6 kW electrical flow heater. Dave Halton of Multiserv explains, ‘The heat pump was sized on the basis that with a Vitocell 600 litre buffer tank, it will meet design loads on all but a few days a year, so that from a capital-cost point of view the dual approach made sense.’ The Eco Centre was funded by Sefton Council, with grants from the National Lottery and Clear Skies. Main contractor as Kier North West and the M&E contractor Hills Electrical & Mechanical.

Related links:

• www.viessmann.co.uk

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