Hospital Saves 40% on Energy with new Heating Pump System

lowara heating pump system upgrade featured image

The Challenge

A leading hospital in Warwickshire, serving hundreds of patients daily with 358 beds for emergency and elective services, had issues with failing main circulation pumps every 8 to 12 months. As a result, they had to be removed and overhauled.

These Low Temperature Hot Water (LTHW) pumps were operating outside of their designed duty which meant that they were cavitating. This caused the mechanical seal and bearings to fail prematurely. Ultimately, the pumps were not suited to the system requirements. The incorrect specification meant that these pumps had to run continuously at full speed to delivery sufficient heat around the system. For every month the existing heating pump system was operating, it was costing and extra £3,153 to run, compared to the correctly specified pump.

Our Solution

We recommended the correct pump specification together with inverters so that the new pumps could deliver to curve and flowrate. The new solution included:

Correctly specified pumps to match the required flow rate and pressure.
Variable speed inverters to adjust pump operation on actual demand rather than running continuously at full speed.
A future proof system, reducing long-term maintenance costs and extending equipment lifespan.

Technical Specification
To achieve maximum efficiency, we installed:

Lowara NSCS 150-250 – 30 kW end suction pumps.
Danfoss FC102 – 30 kW inverters for optimised energy consumption.

Outcome

Our hospital customer now benefits from:

40% energy savings – reducing annual electricity consumption by 94,608kWh.
Pumps that will only require an overhaul every 5 to 10 years (estimated).
Significant cost reduction – achieving an impressive 17-month payback period.
Reduced carbon footprint – contributing to the hospital’s sustainability goals.
Quieter operation – reducing plant room noise for a more comfortable working environment.
Long term security – new pumps with a 24-month warranty and a 10-year spare part guarantee.

By optimising their heating pump system, the hospital is now operating more sustainably, more efficiently and at lower costs. This ensures uninterrupted comfort for patients and staff.