Isentra delivers heat pumps to Oxford college

Preston-based Isentra is to provide its heat pumps Wolfson College in Oxford as it aims to reduce carbon emissions by 75 per cent by next March.

The transcritical CO2 heat pumps are part of a major installation by Seward Refrigeration and will be significant contributors to the emissions target, which includes hitting net zero by 2030, alongside refurbishing windows with triple-glazed glass. 

The flat-roofed main buildings will also see increased insulation and the installation of more photovoltaic panels, while all lighting will be upgraded to LED. A 1MWh electrical storage battery is planned to draw electricity at peak times. 

Max Fordham, the environmental building services engineer who completed the energy audit and decarbonisation plan for the college, established that changing from single glazing and improving insulation will reduce building heat loss by 80 per cent, while replacing gas boilers with CO₂ heat pumps will reduce carbon footprint by 75per cent.

The government is funding half of the £10m cost through a grant aimed at decarbonising the public sector.

Daniel Clark, Isentra managing director, said: "As the governments of the world wake up to the need to invest in new technologies to prevent climate disaster, Wolfson College is leading the way with the installation of these heat pumps.

"Heat pumps, as a technology, are currently woefully underused with respect to the environmental savings they can provide, so we hope many more institutions will follow Wolfson College’s lead in the uptake of this available and highly effective solution."

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