St Andrews School - Chedworth

St Andrews is one of the first schools to obtain a grant under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The funding has been used to replace an old oil boiler with Ecodan Air Source Heat Pumps, helping the school to transition to green energy! The £120,000 grant will also help the school on the road to Net Zero Carbon by reducing its energy demand through LED lighting, insulation measures and also generating its heating and power through the combination of the air source heat pumps and PV panels. The Challenge Located in Chedworth, St Andrews primary school wanted a low cost and renewable heating system which could maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the school, whilst being as energy-efficient and carbon-neutral as possible. The challenge was to completely move away from the antiquated oil fired system and use a low carbon form of heating while optimising the current radiators which would be supplied by low temperature Ecodan Air Source Heat Pumps. The Requirements The project carried out by C P Jefferies was to de-commission the existing old oil fired boiler, and remove redundant pipework and materials and to install a new low carbon heating system. The design requirements for the new system was to cater for multiple heating zones, which includes radiators and underfloor heating. Disruption to pupil attendance and the down time of heating whilst the school was still in use had to be considered during the project. The ability to enter the school during peak times due to Covid19 also had to be factored in. The Solution A new Ecodan heating system incorporating four 14kW units and a new distribution system was installed which supplies heat to the existing combination of underfloor heating and radiators already in the school. The use of the existing emitter system meant that internal disruption and the need to be in the main public areas was minimised. The Ecodan heat pumps alongside the PV and other energy saving measures means that St Andrews h