The exotic inhabitants of an ‘animazing oasis’ at Banham Zoo in Norfolk are enjoying a tropical winter thanks to the award-winning installation of a Dimplex air source heat pump.
Dimplex installer partner Finn Geotherm took on the challenging project to provide a year-round subtropical environment and home for species including lizards, monkey, bats and exotic plants at the zoo’s new Eureka! Indoor attraction, which opened last year.
The solution, which was named Energy Efficient Initiative of the Year at the 2013 Energy Efficiency & Renewables Awards, includes a high power 60kW Dimplex LA 60 TU air source heat pump providing high performance with a small footprint. The heat pump is linked to a 1,000 litre Akvaterm thermal store, with heat distributed via six separate temperature-controlled underfloor heating zones, so each can be controlled to suit the needs of the individual animals.
Additional system integration and control is via roof-beam mounted water /air heaters which provide a space heating boost as the 3,500m2 building’s doors are frequently opened and closed. In all, the Dimplex air source system delivers the constant required heat at approximately 60% of the cost of a fossil fuel system.
The system was put to the test immediately as it was commissioned during the coldest spring for 50 years and has continued to perform well through the autumn and winter months, delivering a 15% lower than forecast running cost.
Guy Ransom, Finn Geotherm’s commercial director, said: “This project really did demand a 360-degree approach, careful thinking and an in depth understanding of the way to combine different technologies for the ultimate integrated solution, because one size very definitely doesn’t fit all.
“The building presented a major challenge for the heating system design. It not only needed to welcome the 200,000 people who visit Banham Zoo each year but also maintain a constant temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, allowing the wildlife inside to thrive, regardless of the great British weather.
“It was essential that the new building incorporated the optimum low carbon heating and energy system, consistent with highest environmental credentials of the zoo – not to mention minimising heating costs of course.”
Banham Zoo’s chief executive officer, Martin Goymour is delighted with the result.
He said: “We’re very proud of this attraction and the fact that we have achieved the best of all worlds for our zoo, with the controlled climate that really does provide greener energy and running costs that are so far even lower than forecast. So that’s a great result and the added bonus is that it’s of genuine interest for our visitors and school groups as well.”
Planning for the new building - a replacement for the zoo’s original 1968 animal house – took three years, and since it opened in 2013 it has provided the home for a diverse range of animals including spiny-tailed Monitors, Swainson’s lorikeets, white-faced Saki monkeys, Egyptian fruit bats as well as exotic plants.