The new sustainable teaching block at Coombe Dean School was officially opened in October 2007 by Worcester representative Leigh Risbey, and is now fully up and running for classes.

The installation was facilitated by one of Worcester’s long standing installer customers, Dave Salmon, whose children attend the school. Dave approached Worcester to see if they could help by contributing equipment for the new extension and having got the go-ahead, arrangements were made for work to be carried out by another of Worcester’s recommended installers, Martin Perrin of United Heating.

The project saw one Greenstore system and one Greenstore combination ground source heat pump combined with underfloor heating. The installation utilised a vertical collection system using five bore holes, each 75 metres deep.

Since completion, Worcester’s Greenstore ground source heat pumps have been efficiently meeting the heating and hot water demands of the single story English block, which accommodates six classrooms, office facilities and two toilets.

Worcester’s Greenstore GSHPs are designed using thermodynamic principles to take energy from the ground and use it to meet the heating and hot water requirements of an entire property. By harnessing this energy, they can provide heat with a much lower running cost than high efficiency boilers.

Using the same principles as an ordinary domestic fridge, GSHPs use a water and glycol mixture, which is pumped around a collector circuit, causing the refrigerant to turn into a gas. This refrigerant passes through a compressor, making the temperature rapidly rise. The hot gas moves to a condenser and the latent energy is released into a heating circuit.

Leigh Risbey said: “In addition to our Greenstore ground source heat pumps, this new facility has additional sustainable design solutions, such as natural ventilation and lighting. These innovations will not only reduce the school’s carbon footprint but help to create an open and welcoming environment that is a pleasure to teach and learn in.”

The new teaching block is part of a £1 million investment in the school’s facilities and it replaces six temporary classrooms, which had been at the school since the 1970s. Headteacher Patrick Frean said: “The project has provided an excellent opportunity for the school to embrace the environmental agenda and we will look for opportunities to incorporate this into teaching and learning at Coombe Dean. We are looking forward to leading the way in sustainable development and education for our students, staff and the local community.”

To ensure all the students are familiar with ground source heat pump technology, Worcester has provided display boards that detail how the heat pumps work and perspex covers for the heat pumps, so students will be able to see inside whilst they are in action. Efficiency monitors have also been fitted, so the children can see how much energy the heat pumps are providing.