Oxford Brookes University

First UK university to retrofit new geo-exchange heating technology on campus

A new geo-exchange heating system has been installed at Oxford Brookes University. This £2.3m project reached practical completion in 2022. We formed an early partnership with Black Mountain Developments, the UK’s delivery partner for the Erda deep coaxial borehole system.  This patented system utilises vertically splayed boreholes (>200 meters deep) that fit within a very small footprint. 

The geothermal system works in tandem with our existing tri-generation system and reduces our reliance upon natural gas.  The scheme has delivered 14 boreholes, with two heat pumps, delivering 1.2GWh/year of thermal energy and reducing CO2 emissions for the site by approximately 20%.

Annual carbon savings achieved with the initiative:

• CO2t savings 2023/2024: 222 (Estimated).
• CO2t savings over the life cycle of the project: 5,500 (Estimated – over the 25 year lifespan of the boreholes).

Top 3 Learnings

1. We were the first UK University to integrate a low carbon geothermal heat pump system.
2. Our novel approach to decarbonising heat only required a small footprint on our estate.
3. Key partnerships and collaboration allowed us to deliver on a very tight timeline.