Oakes Energy Services has collaborated with heating and hot water solutions expert Baxi to assist the Priory Federation of Academies Trust with its ambitious sustainability initiative to decarbonise the sports centres at a series of Lincoln academies.
Sports facilities, particularly those with swimming pools, have high energy demand. The decarbonisation programme currently encompasses three of the Trust’s academies: Lincoln Academy, Witham Academy and LSST Academy, where gas boilers previously heated the water in the pool and air handling units.
The equivalent of 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 the three schools.
The designs, which illustrate the expected carbon savings, were then used to secure funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme operated by Salix. The design of the entire scheme is expected to save 227.5 tonnes of CO2 a year, equivalent to planting 7,000 trees.
The proposal for each academy was designed bespoke to the individual requirements in each building, but all involved retrofitting Remeha air source heat pumps (ASHPs). Remeha is part of Baxi.
At Witham and LSST Academies, two Remeha 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.
Decarbonisation programme
At Lincoln Academy, which has a larger 25-metre swimming pool, five Remeha ASHPs 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.
Director Nik Smith at Oakes Energy Services said: “As with all school projects, we worked 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 before the start of the new term.
He added: “Besides on-site technical support during the installation stage, Baxi also provided pre-commissioning and commissioning to meet the handover date. All in all, a great service from the Baxi team.”
Rob Erwood, commercial 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.”