York Council has had a river water source heat pump installed at its’ Guildhall, as part of ongoing refurbishments, in order to reduce the historic building’s carbon footprint and protect itself from rising energy costs.
The council decided upon a water source heat pump as a result of the Guildhall’s location on the banks of the River Ouse and is expecting to make carbon savings of around 40 tonnes per year.
Underfloor heating will be utilised to heat the Main Hall, Slype space and certain offices. Fan Coil Units (FCUs) will be used to heat or cool meeting rooms and other offices.
Councillor Paula Widdowson, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change at City of York Council, said:
“The carbon output of this heating method is much lower than using a traditional gas boiler. Over time, with the greening of the grid, the carbon savings will only increase.
“As a Council, we are determined to play our part in helping to achieve our ambition of becoming a carbon net-zero city. The installation of the River Water Source Heat Pump at the Guildhall is yet another step towards achieving this goal.”
The redevelopment works on the historic building are now reaching their final stage. It will retain its civic use, but also offer more modern meeting and events space.
