Heat pump grant to help University cut carbon by 10%

A £2.2 million grant from the Government’s Green Heat Network Fund will help the University of Reading reduce the carbon footprint of its entire built estate by 10%.

The grant, which is being match funded by the University, will be used to fund the installation of a large water source heat pump in the University’s Energy Centre. The Energy Centre provides heating and hot water to 15 buildings on the Whiteknights campus through an underground district heating network (DHN), currently powered by a combination of a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine and gas boilers.

The Green Heat Network Fund, funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ), provides capital funding towards the cost of decarbonising heat networks, through a competitive process open to private and public sector heat networks.

Green goals

The new water source heat pump will provide more than 50% of the current heating supply to the district heating network. As well as providing heating, the project will see the creation of a small district cooling network to some of the science facilities nearby, with cooling being a free by-product of the heat pump.

Once fully operational, the water source heat pump will reduce the University’s emissions by 1,500 tonnes of carbon per year. This is equivalent to a 10% reduction in emissions from buildings across the entire University estate.

Dan Fernbank, Energy & Sustainability Director at the University of Reading, 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.”

Professor 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.”

Next steps

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.