Trimingham Community Hub

Project Snapshot

Client: Trimingham Village Hall Trust
Sector: Public Sector / Community
Building Type: New-build village hall and community hub
Project Scope: Heating system design and installation
Funding Route: Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
Our Role: Design, installation and RHI registration support
Technologies Used: Ground source heat pump and underfloor heating

The Decarbonisation Challenge

Trimingham Community Hub is a new village hall in North Norfolk, opened in 2018 to provide a modern, welcoming space for the local community.

The previous village hall was a 1930s pilgrim shelter located close to the cliff edge. Due to coastal erosion, the building was nearing the end of its usable life and was heated using electric systems that were expensive to run and ineffective.

When planning the new hall, the Trust wanted to create a future-proof building that would be warm, affordable to operate and aligned with low-energy and passive house principles.

Key Delivery Considerations

From the outset, there were several important factors to consider:

– A community-led project with long-term operating costs in mind
– A desire to follow passive house principles wherever possible
– A new-build site on paddock land with environmental constraints
– A requirement for even, comfortable heating throughout the building
– The opportunity to secure long-term financial support through the RHI

The solution needed to be efficient, reliable and simple for volunteers and users to manage.

Our Role

We were appointed during the construction phase to design and install the heating system for the new village hall.

We worked closely with the building contractor and the Village Hall Trust to ensure the system aligned with the overall low-energy ambition for the project, while remaining practical and cost-effective to operate.

As part of our role, we also managed the application and registration process for the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive on behalf of the Trust.

The Solution

We specified and installed a Lämpöässä VMI 17 three-phase ground source heat pump with an integral 480-litre thermal store, housed within a purpose-built plant room.

The system provides heating to the entire building including the main hall, meeting room, kitchen and toilets – via underfloor heating, delivering steady and comfortable warmth throughout.

A 1,200-metre ground loop array was installed in the surrounding paddock. The groundworks required careful planning to avoid protected wildflower areas, and the installation was completed sensitively to respect the site.

Delivery & Outcomes

The completed system now provides reliable, low-cost heating for the community hub and supports constant use of the building throughout the year.

Key outcomes include:

– Consistent, comfortable heating across all areas of the hall
– Significantly lower running costs compared to the previous electric heating
– Eligibility for quarterly RHI payments for the next 20 years
– A future-proofed, low-energy building supporting community use

The hall is now in regular use, hosting a wide range of activities including lunch clubs, yoga, table tennis, community meetings and weddings.

The Client’s Voice

Terry Brown, Chairman of the Trimingham Village Hall Trust, said:

“We are delighted with how well the heat pump works in our new hall and the running costs are excellent.

In the previous village hall, people often kept their coats on, now we don’t know where to put them all. We’ve had huge support from Finn Geotherm throughout the installation and afterwards too, which has been brilliant.”