Heat pumps

To help reduce CO₂ emissions and cut energy bills we have upgraded the air source heat pump controls at our Blackburn training academy and installed a new ground source heat pump at our Oldham depot.

Training academy

In 2019 we carried out a survey of the ventilation, heating and cooling systems at our training academy. As a result of the survey findings we decided to retain the existing air source heat pump system to minimise embodied carbon emissions
from new materials.

But the site survey also showed that there was a risk of some of the rooms being over-cooled. So in 2020 we installed window and motion sensors and a new control system to ensure that optimum temperatures are maintained throughout the building.

Combined with other energy efficiency measures, the upgrade has led to a 31% reduction in energy use.

Oldham depot

In October 2021, we installed a Daikin water-cooled ground source heat pump air conditioning system at our Oldham depot which now heats and cools the depot’s two-storey office building and maintains year-round stable and comfortable temperatures.

The condensing unit at Oldham is cooled through a water loop in two 150-metre boreholes near the building.

Since the heat pump was installed in October 2021 the heat pump has contributed to a 25% reduction in energy use.

For more details, please download our case study.

Case study