19
Oct
Oakes Energy Services has collaborated with heating and hot water solutions provider Baxi to assist The Priory Federation of Academies Trust in its endeavour to reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 227.5 tonnes, equivalent to planting 7,000 trees.
Keen to cut its carbon footprint, the Trust approached Oakes Energy Services to help develop proposals to decarbonise the sports centres at its academies in Lincoln.
Oakes’ designs, which illustrated the expected carbon savings, were then used to securing funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme operated by Salix.
The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, worth £1.425bn, was launched by Salix on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in 2021. It provides grants for public sector bodies to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.
The installation of the heat pumps is set to make a substantial impact, with an expected reduction of more than 200 tons of CO2 emissions, particularly in energy-intensive facilities including swimming pools. Previously, gas boilers were responsible for heating water in the pool and maintaining the climate through air handling units.
The programme of decarbonisation encompasses three of the Trust’s Lincoln academies, Lincoln Academy, Witham Academy and LSST Academy, with the support of Oakes Energy Services and nine Remeha 88kW air source heat pumps (ASHPs).
At Witham and LSST Academies, two ASHPs now supply all the heat demand in the building, feeding underfloor heating and radiators, and providing hot water for the changing rooms and the swimming pool plant.
Lincoln Academy, which has a larger 25-metre swimming pool, had five ASHPs fitted to supply heat to calorifiers for the hot water system as well as to the swimming pool heat exchanger in what is the first phase of the decarbonisation programme.
Engineered to withstand the demanding climate conditions of Northern Europe, the
Remeha ASHP range can achieve a high supply temperature of up to 65°C flow temperature, making them suitable for both new builds and retrofit projects.
Remeha ASHPs are available in various outputs for single or cascade configurations, providing flexible solutions for a wide range of commercial applications.
Baxi’s portfolio of trusted products and brands, which includes Remeha, offers a range of easy-to-install solutions and responsive services suited to the different needs of customers.
Oakes Energy Services forms part of PHS, one of the UK’s leading home services firms, which is also headquartered in the North East. It provides a range of energy efficient services for commercial and domestic applications, which includes designing and installing renewable energy systems to reduce energy consumption and cost.
Nik Smith, director at Oakes Energy Services, said: “This is a great example of a forward-thinking academy trust embracing renewable energy solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of its facilities.
“As with all school projects, we were working to a tight, fixed deadline. Having the Remeha heat pumps in stock was a big selling point as we had more time to complete the project with minimal disruption to the sports centres’ activities.
He added: “In addition to on-site technical support during the installation stage, Baxi also provided pre-commissioning support and commissioning to meet the handover date. All in all, a great service from the Baxi team.”
Rob Erwood, Sales and Specification Director at Baxi said: “The focus on low carbon design is now critical for all public sector buildings in line with ambitious government decarbonisation targets. We are proud to play a part in this project, collaborating with Oakes Energy Services to help the Trust achieve its carbon reduction ambitions with our Remeha air source heat pumps.”