A ground-breaking new heating system has been installed in a UK school - how does it work?

• The only natural thermal spring in Wales has become a renewable heat source for a village school.
• UK-based ground source heat pump specialists, Kensa, have installed an innovative system that uses the warm spring water to heat two buildings.
• The system is expected to cut carbon emissions from heat by up to 80% - which could have a big impact on the little school's carbon footprint.

A village school has made the switch to clean, renewable heating - powered by Wales’ only natural geothermal spring.

Ffynnon Taf Primary School and a nearby bowls pavilion in Taff’s Well have had an innovative new heating system installed by Kensa, a Cornwall-based ground source heat pump specialist. It uses naturally occurring heat from Taff’s Well Spring - which naturally bubbles out of the ground at a balmy 21C.

The innovative method cannot be replicated anywhere else in Wales. But there are at least 18 thermal springs scattered across England, giving other schools, councils, or businesses the potential to do the same in the future. Using the spring to heat buildings was the brainchild of the Friends of Taff’s Well community group, who were looking at other ways the historic spring - once thought to have healing properties - could benefit the local community.

The Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council has an ambitious plans to decarbonise by 2030, and using spring-power instead of gas is expected to cut the council-run school and pavilion’s carbon emissions from heating by close to 80%.

Pupils from Ffynnon Taf Primary School also got the chance to tour the site, and see how it worked. Headteacher Kathryn Price said: “We are very excited about how Taff’s Well Thermal Spring has been utilised for the whole school community.”

The school’s ‘Eco Committee’ had thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the heat pump system and how it helped to reduce the school’s carbon footprint, she continued. “We will continue to celebrate the success of the thermal spring installation in our community for many years to come.”

 Kensa’s commercial director, Dr Stuart Gadsden, added: “This is an incredibly unique system and really demonstrates how versatile Kensa’s ground source heat pumps are. It was great to show the pupils how their exciting new heating system works and how it will reduce their carbon footprint.

“Using the historic Taff’s Well thermal spring as a renewable heat source is a brilliant example of how bold ideas can lead to something that benefits future generations. It’s something the whole community can be proud of, and we were pleased to play our part in making it happen,” he said.

How does it work?

Kensa’s ground source heat pumps, which power thousands of UK properties, are usually set up to source energy from the ground to provide heating and hot water. The company says this is its first to use a natural thermal spring.

The “one-of-a-kind” installation at Taff’s Well pumps warm water from the spring and passes it through a nearby heat exchanger, which is connected to heat pumps inside the school. The heat energy stored in the warm spring water is absorbed and converted by the heat pumps into usable energy for its heating and hot water systems.

While in the system, the water is confined to its own pipework, mostly hidden under the ground and out of sight, and doesn’t encounter any other substances to ensure there’s no issue of contamination or pollution, Kensa says. To avoid above-ground damage, the company horizontally drilled hundreds of meters between the well, the school, and the pavilion to install it.

After passing through the system, the clean water is emptied back into the Well’s overflow, eventually feeding into the River Taff.

What role do you think schools should play in the UK’s mission to become net zero by 2050, and transition to renewable energy sources? Have your say and make your voice heard by commenting below.