Case Study: Closed Loop Water Source Heat Pump Port Mill

Written by: Ian Nock | Engineering Manager |  Renewables First

Background

Port Mill dates from the 19th century and was named after the Brimscombe Port basin which once sat immediately to the east. The current mill building was originally built to bolster the local cloth production industry. It is Grade II listed both for architectural reasons as a high-quality stone-built mill and for historic reasons given its background in local canal and textile traditions. It is now owned by Stroud District Council who rent out the internal space for commercial use

The insulation improvements to the building were limited to draft proofing and loft insulation due to its historical heritage listing. The walls are constructed from local limestone, 450 mm thick and the windows are single glazed with metal frames. The building has a heat loss performance of about 100 W/m² which is three times greater than modern building standards.

Project Summary:

System Solution:

35 FireFlo flat plate thermal collectors sit in the river Frome which flows along the eastern elevation of the building. These harness all the thermal energy required to meet the space heating and hot water requirements of the building. Twenty of the collectors are fixed to the river bed just downstream of the original sluice gates and a further 15 attached to the stone walls of the mill that extend into the river.

Renewables First partnered with Cotswold Energy for this installation taking responsibility for initial project feasibility assessments and design, installation and commissioning of the thermal collection system.

Ian has been working in the renewables sector since 2014 and leads the Net-zero, Heat Pumps and Solar PV teams for Renewables First. He works closely with our engineering team to share practical, evidence-based renewable energy advice.

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