Heat pump upgrades lift efficiency at UK school, North America

Heat pump specialist Zeuner has refurbished a 20‑year‑old ground‑source loop at a secondary school in Clydebank, Scotland, installing a new 350 kW system that uses natural refrigerants and a heat‑recovery circuit to provide both heating and chilled water. Founder Chris Reilly says the tailored retrofit avoids costly full‑replacement and planning permits while delivering higher efficiency and helping the school meet sustainability targets.

In North America, advances in air‑source heat‑pump technology—including inverter‑driven compressors, variable‑speed controls and improved refrigerants—are allowing units to operate as primary heating sources at temperatures as low as –29 °C. Modern systems can maintain most of their rated capacity in sub‑freezing weather and achieve seasonal energy‑efficiency ratios (SEER2) up to 33.5. Variable‑speed operation reduces cycling, cuts energy use by 20‑40 % on retrofits, and provides smoother temperature control, prompting designers and contractors to treat cold‑climate heat pumps as the main heating solution rather than supplemental equipment.