BGES Group has been revealed as a finalist in this year’s Energy Management Awards, for its energy-saving BMS retrofit at The Oxfordshire Golf Hotel and Spa.
The awards, which are organised by the Energy Managers Association, recognise excellence in the industry, awarding companies that show leadership in the field. BGES Group has been shortlisted in the Decarbonisation Project of the Year category for its work at the Oxfordshire, which involved integrating the controls of three legacy heating and cooling systems and a new closed loop water source heat pump system. As part of a drive to decarbonise hotel energy use, water from the golf course lake is used as the main heat source.
The system was designed and retrofitted by Geyser Thermal Energy, and sees pipework take water from the lake to the heat pump in the main plantroom. The resort’s old oil-fired boilers and chiller have been replaced with a low-energy heat pump system, linked to a 250kW solar array installed onsite.
Major energy savings
The upgraded BMS, which was designed and installed by BGES Group, provides intelligent monitoring and control of plant. The precise control & visibility provided by the BMS is contributing towards a vast reduction in energy input demand for the club’s heating/cooling and hot water: from 1,410kW to below 100kW.
Prior to the upgrade, there were 3 different independent heating and cooling systems with a non-working BMS. BGES Group upgraded the controls on the existing BMS plant and designed a new panel to control the new heat pumps; tying them in with existing boiler plant to maximise the efficiency of the heat pumps.
The user-friendly front end of the BMS helps resort staff to understand how the system works, and it is crucial to understanding what the loads are in the pool, spa and air conditioning. Monitoring and control is key to the project’s success as it will allow for ongoing tweaking to drive further output and efficiency improvements.
The Energy Management Award winners will be announced on 16th November 2021.