A first for Europe! Finn Geotherm installs Panasonic 210kW units at University of West London

Project Snapshot

Client: University of West London
Sector: Public Sector – Higher Education
Building Type: City-centre, 11-storey teaching facility
Project Scope: Large-scale heating system replacement
Funding Route: Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF)
Our Role: System specification, engineering leadership and installation
Technologies Used: Large-scale air source heat pump system

The Decarbonisation Challenge

Paragon House is an 11-storey teaching facility owned by the University of West London, located in a constrained city-centre setting.

The building had historically been heated using gas boilers. As part of UWL’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, the brief was to replace the existing fossil-fuel system with a low-carbon alternative capable of meeting the heating demands of a large, multi-storey academic building.

Ground source heat pumps were initially considered, however the site’s location meant there was insufficient space for a ground collector and boreholes would have been complex and prohibitively expensive. An alternative approach was required.

Key Delivery Considerations

From the outset, there were several key factors we needed to manage:

– A dense, city-centre site with limited external space
– The scale of heat demand across an 11-storey building
– Integration with the existing plant room and distribution systems
– The need for proven, reliable technology at a much larger output than typical installations
– Programme, funding and performance requirements associated with PSDS delivery

Any solution needed to be technically robust, practical to install and capable of delivering long-term performance at scale.

Our Role

We were appointed by the University of West London to specify and install a heat pump system capable of serving Paragon House.

Working closely with Panasonic, we helped bring a new 210kW air source heat pump to market in Europe. This project became the first installation in Europe using this model.

We took responsibility for system design, coordination and installation, including the integration of the new heat pumps into the existing plant room and the development of a bespoke cascading control system to manage output efficiently across the building.

The Solution

We installed three 210kW Panasonic air source heat pumps on the roof of Paragon House, creating a system with a total output of 630kW.

The units were carefully lifted and positioned on the roof before being connected into the existing heating infrastructure. A bespoke cascading thermostatic control system was developed to ensure the plant operates efficiently, matching output to demand and providing reliable heating across all floors of the building.

This approach delivered a practical, large-scale alternative to ground source heat pumps within a constrained urban environment.

Delivery & Outcomes

The new system now provides low-carbon heating for Paragon House while supporting UWL’s wider decarbonisation strategy.

Key outcomes include:

– Installation of the first 210kW Panasonic air source heat pumps in Europe
– A total installed heating capacity of 630kW
– Expected annual energy savings of approximately 1,058,000 kWh
– Significant reductions in carbon emissions

Taken alongside two other Panasonic heat pump installations delivered by Finn Geotherm for UWL, the combined carbon savings are expected to exceed 500 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The Client’s Voice

Claire Willitts MRICS MSc BSc (Hons), Director of Property Services at the University of West London, said:

“We have been very pleased with the results of the project. Having now been through our first winter running on the new systems, we can safely say the technology works. This project has made a significant contribution to our carbon reduction journey and has shown that positive environmental change can also be cost-effective and deliver a practical operational solution.”