Institute of Sport, Yeovil College, Somerset
Yeovil College is a major further education provider serving Somerset and the surrounding region, with a broad offer that includes academic study, apprenticeships, technical training, and employer-led skills development. As part of its long-term campus transformation programme, the college launched the YC Big Build, a major redevelopment designed to replace older buildings with modern teaching, specialist, and performance facilities. One of the flagship elements of that programme is the new Institute of Sport, created to support student-athletes, performance sport, and specialist training pathways.
Building service contractors FP Hurley based in Bridgend, Bristol and Exeter was employed as M&E contractor for the project by Tier 1 contractor BAM Construction. Winning the project some years after the original design and tender, most product costs had increased dramatically. FP Hurley needed to deliver the project to the same quality and efficiency standard but within the original budget.
The heat pump equipment for the project was originally specified as another manufacturer. After consulting with ICG Heat Pumps, FP Hurley suggested changing the specified equipment to the Midea heat pump systems.
The Midea heat pump systems were accepted by lead consultant BAM Design due to their greater efficiency, lower sound levels, longer warranty (5 years) and lower GWP refrigerants.
ICG Heat Pumps supplied a combined Midea solution consisting of:
2 x Midea Aqua Thermal Super MH-SU65M-RN8L heat pumps for space heating
1 x Midea MARS MHC-V35WD2RN7 heat pump for domestic hot water
The Aqua Thermal Super units provide heating via underfloor heating, producing water at a maximum of 48°C (capability up to 65°C). These 53 kW heating units are weather compensated and achieve a SCOP of 4.49, giving the building an efficient low temperature heating system well suited to UFH.
For domestic hot water, we supplied the
Midea MARS MHC-V35WD2RN7 heat pump.
This state-of-the-art unit provides water at 65°C (capability up to 85°C) in order to maintain domestic hot water in a 1,000-litre cylinder for the shower and washroom demand associated with the sports facility. The heat pump is capable of heating the cylinder from cold to 60°C in 106 minutes.
The MARS range uses R290 refrigerant, with a GWP of just 0.02, making it a strong choice for projects seeking reduced environmental impact alongside high performance. The unit delivers 29.4 kW heating capacity at the design condition (65/55 -5) and so is perfect for commercial DHW applications.
The result is a highly efficient heating and domestic hot water system tailored to the needs of a specialist sports facility. By providing separate DHW and space heating systems,
the heating is able to operate at low temperature with weather compensation allowing increased efficiency.
DHW can be maintained at 60°C and reheated quickly without interrupting heating. The project supports both day-to-day operational performance and long-term sustainability.
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