SportsPark goes electric

Work has begun on the University’s first large scale heat pump retrofit which will see the existing gas boilers – some of which are three decades old - replaced with two air source heat pumps.

Converting SportsPark to electric heat pumps means that the building will become one of the lowest carbon building on campus, with an estimated 110 tonnes of carbon being saved per year.

Last year the University was awarded a grant of £865,000 for the project from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, which is delivered by Salix Finance.

Two gas supplies will be removed entirely as part of this project, which will be the first time this has happened in the University’s decarbonisation journey.

Planning permission for the project was granted in November 2023 and the first stage of the project will be to construct the sound protected compound to house the new air source heat pumps next to the SportsPark pavilion.

This compound is designed so any noise generated is as low as possible, to minimise any environmental impact on neighbouring houses. Pipework will then be laid to connect the new system to the SportsPark main building. There will be minor disruption within the building itself when the heat emitters are replaced.

The project is very timely as one of the current gas boilers has now failed, with a temporary gas boiler being used to ensure heating continues to be supplied in the immediate term.

Other sites using air sourced heat pump include ark Eat, Chancellors, and at Greenlands - Bourne and Berry Brook, while Carrington has a ground source heat pump system installed.

Our Energy Centre is also set to be transformed with the installation of a new ground sourced heat pump, currently underway.

Solar energy

SportsPark had already been part of the 2021 drive that saw seven existing buildings at Whiteknights fitted with new photovoltaic solar panels, reducing our reliance on the grid.

JJ Thomson, home to multiple computer labs, had the most panels added, with around a quarter of the newly installed generating capacity on that building. The modern roof design and insulation also helps to reduce wasted energy.

Other sites fitted with solar panels through that project were: Archaeology, Agriculture, Meteorology, Harry Pitt, Met-Psych Link, and the central Energy Centre.

The new School of Art building, which transformed the old Central Kitchen into a modern new home for Art, also opened in 2023 with brand new solar panels.

Across our UK campuses, 3,805 solar panels collectively generated 686,793 kWh in 2022/23, helping to power our University and cut our energy bills.