Rushmere Nurseries – How ground source heat pumps resulted in a saving of £17,112 per year
Over £1 million in financial benefits expected over the next 20 years
Permanent Glass house structures are often ideal to take advantage of the benefits of a Ground Source heating system. The heat also enables clients the option to grow a wider variety of plants more profitably.
In addition to this the ‘dry heat’ that is produced through the Ground and through the fan coil heaters can help reduce disease developing on the plants.
One of our most recent installations at a Wholesale Plant Nursery near Milton Keynes.
Greenstone Heat Pumps installed a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP), using horizontal loops, for Rushmere Nurseries, a plant growing nursery in Milton Keynes.
Specifying a suitable heat pump system
A comprehensive feasibility study had been carried out by an independent company, FEC Energy, owned by the NFU.
FEC Energy advised a system size of around 350kW.
Four 88kW Thermia Heat Pumps totalling 352kW was ultimately settled on by Greenstone and the customer.
Removing dependency on oil
Rushmere Nurseries was previously using an oil boiler to heat the site, consuming between 40 -50,000 litres and spending approx. £37,500 per annum.
Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
As with most renewable energy technologies, heat pumps are government backed. The Renewable Heat incentive (RHI), paid for 20 years, means that the financial benefits increase dramatically.
The RHI is paid based on a Tier 1 and Tier 2 system. Tier 1 means that for 1314 hours, (15% of the total hours in a year), is paid to the owner of the equipment, at 9.36p. After this point, Tier 2 takes over and is paid at 2.79p. In Rushmere Nurseries’ case, the Heat Pump is likely to be running for a further 390 hours.
Annual RHI payments: Tier 1 + Tier 2 |
= £47,123 |
Savings on oil costs: (596,586kwh x £0.63kwh@ 80% eff) |
= £37,566 |
Electricity costs to run the GSHP: | -£20,454 |
Annual fuel savings: (Saving on oil costs – electricity costs) |
= £17,112 |
Annual net benefit: (Fuel savings + RHI payments) |
= £64,235 |
20 year total financial benefit: (total net benefit – cost of system) |
= £1,034,700 |