Star Refrigeration sign deal to deliver water sourced heat pump to Mersey Heat Energy Centre

A deal has been signed with Star Refrigeration Ltd to provide a £2.5m water source heat pump to the Mersey Heat Energy Centre currently under construction at Peel Water’s Liverpool Waters at Princes Dock in Liverpool.

Led by Peel NRE’s district heat network specialist Ener-Vate and being built by Vital Energi, the project is set to become a major part of the city’s low carbon energy infrastructure.

One of the first to be installed in the UK, the pump will use game changing technology to extract heat from the water in the Leeds Liverpool Canal and use it to provide low carbon energy to thousands of homes and businesses around the city via a 6km district heating network.

Set to be operational by winter 2024, the Mersey Heat Energy Centre will provide an easy, affordable and convenient solution to decarbonise heating with the potential to provide enough low carbon heat for over a fifth of the homes in Liverpool. Local homes and businesses will be able to connect into the existing district heating pipework which has already been installed.

The government has identified heat networks as a crucial part of how the UK will reach net zero and one of the most cost-effective ways of decarbonising heating in built up areas. Using a water sourced heat pump to heat buildings is three times more efficient than using electricity for heating and has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 90%.

Jo Longdon, Commercial Director, Ener-Vate, said: “This is another major milestone towards delivering a game changing new approach to the way homes and businesses are heated in Liverpool. There isn’t the option to do nothing, we have to move away from fossil fuels and towards low carbon sources of heat. The Energy Centre will enable buildings to easy connect via an existing pipeline network providing an overnight solution to the challenge of decarbonising our heat sources.”

Andrew Wightman, Pre-Construction Director, Vital Energi, said: This is a major development which will have a real, positive impact on Liverpool’s future and we are delighted that sustainability is embedded at its core. We have seen, first hand, how effective large-scale water source heat pumps can be in decarbonising communities and are proud to be helping to bring another piece of Liverpool’s future green infrastructure to life which will serve the people of Liverpool for decades to come.

David Pearson, Director, Star Refrigeration Ltd, said: “David Pearson, Director, Star Renewables said: “Our heat pumps are manufactured in the UK and are an efficient way to cut CO2 emissions and lower the carbon footprint of connected buildings by around 75%, which will reduce further as the grid decarbonises. It will help thousands of homes and businesses move away from fossil fuels.

“We’re proud to be providing a key component of the Mersey Heat Energy Centre, with the district heat network providing a critical step on the city region’s decarbonisation journey.”

The 8m x 12m pump, which is currently being manufactured in Glasgow, will be delivered to the Mersey Heat Network Energy Centre in the summer.

The district heating network will provide low carbon heat and hot water for up to 6,700 homes and 1.3 million square feet of commercial space at the Liverpool Waters development as well as wider domestic and commercial buildings across Liverpool. This initial phase of the project could supply 20GWh of heat every year with planning permission in place to expand the project to supply around 45GWh (the equivalent of supplying 17,000 new homes with heating and hot water).