THE UNIVERSITY of Reading is set to reduce its buildings’ carbon footprint by 10% as it matches a £2.2 million grant from the government’s Green Heat Network Fund.
The funds will go towards the installation of a large water source heat pump in the University’s Energy Centre, which provides heating and hot water to 15 buildings on the Whiteknights campus.
The new pump will provide more than 50% of the current heating supply to the campus’ underground heating network, as well as a cooling for science facilities – a by-product of the heat pump.
The Energy Centre heats the university via an underground district heating network (DHN), currently powered by a combination of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine and gas boilers.
Dan Fernbank, energy and sustainability director at the university, said: “This project will have significant impact for the university and for the local area.
“The reduction in nitrous oxide emissions will be the equivalent to those of around 394 diesel cars per year, so this is good news from a local air quality perspective.
“Once the heat pump is fully operational, we expect to see savings of £150,000 per year. This could be significantly more if energy prices remain high, so from a financial point of view this also makes a lot of sense.”
The Green Heat Network Fund, funded by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ), provides capital support towards the cost of decarbonising heat networks, through a competitive process open to private and public sector heat networks.
Once fully operational, the new water source heat pump will reduce the university’s emissions by 1,500 tonnes of carbon per year, the equivalent to a 10% reduction in emissions from buildings across the entire university estate.
Prof Robert Van de Noort, vice-chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “This project, and the funding to make it happen, provide a major boost to the University’s mission to continue our leadership in environmental sustainability.
“This demonstrates that the technologies needed for a low carbon future are within our grasp.
“This is a flagship project for the University, and as with all our activities, we look forward to sharing our experience with the wider world and encouraging others to take similar actions.”
Moving forward, the university has secured permission from the Environment Agency for some test borehole drills in early summer 2023, subject to planning permission from Wokingham Borough Council.
Once complete, these will inform the detailed design of the scheme, with the project proposed to be developed over the next 18 months.
The CHP engine and gas boilers will initially be retained but operated less frequently, while the University plans its next steps for full decarbonisation by 2030, in line with its Net Zero Carbon commitments set out in its Estates Strategy.
