Paid off in seven years – and up to 93% lower CO₂ emissions
After many years with district heating as the main source of heating for our buildings at Gardermoen, we have now switched to a modern heat pump system from Danish Thermonova. The investment is both environmentally friendly and financially sustainable – and will be paid off after just seven years. In addition, we reduce our CO₂ emissions by up to 93%.
Our Norwegian head office is located in Gardermoen, where we have a warehouse of 24,000 m² and 8,000 m² of office space.
- All of this needs to be heated, so a functional and efficient heating system is absolutely crucial for us, points out Peter Stangeland, VP Operations at Solar.
Heat pumps prove far cheaper than district heating
Until now, the heating has been based on district heating from the municipal plant.
- We have always been tied to the spot price of electricity, so district heating has not been a reasonable source of heat for us, says Peter.
- Since we use around 1.7 million kWh a year for heating, we wanted a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative. Heat pumps came out clearly the best.
"We will make the world's best heat pumps"
The Solar Group is the main shareholder in the Danish heat pump manufacturer Thermonova. Thus, it was natural for Solar Norge to investigate their solutions.
CEO Mads Hougaard established Thermonova together with Steen Fristrup in 2016, after many years in the private market for heat pumps.
- We saw an increasing need for large heat pumps for medium-sized and larger companies, and also for the district heating industry, says Mads Hougaard.
- Our goal was to make the world's best heat pumps for this segment. That's why we used the very best components we could find – even components that are not normally used in heat pumps.
The effect came quickly. They received their first order before the first heat pump was completed – and sold five heat pumps in the next two weeks alone.
Thermonova was by far the best
Thermonova uses propane as a refrigerant – a natural and almost climate-neutral alternative.
- Unlike synthetic refrigerants, propane does not cause harmful emissions when plants are scrapped, says Mads Hougaard and adds that propane works best in the cold.
- This was particularly important to us, since the temperatures at Gardermoen can creep well below minus 20 degrees, explains Rafi Ahmed, project manager at Solar Norge.
- After thorough assessments, our project team concluded that Thermonova was by far the best solution.
These seven Thermonova heat pumps are now heating all Solar Norge's buildings in Gardermoen. (Photo: Solar Norge)
- According to our calculations, our new heat pump system will be paid off in seven years, says VP Operations at Solar Norge, Peter Stangeland. (Photo: Solar Norge)
- Our goal is to make the world's best heat pumps for medium-sized and large companies, says CEO Mads Hougaard of Thermonova. (Photo: Thermonova)
The heat pumps from Thermonova are a natural part of our sustainability initiatives.Berit Brockstedt Olsen, Sustainability Manager, Solar Norge
Profitable choice: Return on Investment (ROI) in just seven years
For a medium temperature application, Thermonova's heat pumps have a seasonal power factor (SCOP) of 3.68.
- We expect an electricity consumption of around 600,000 kWh to produce the approximately 1.7 million kWh we need for heating, Peter Strangeland estimates.
- We are also planning battery storage to handle peaks in energy consumption.
- The investment is significant, but our calculations show that it will be paid off in seven years, says Peter Strangeland.
- With an expected lifespan of at least 20 years, this means many years with very favorable gains.
93% lower CO₂ emissions
- Sustainability is central to both Solar Norge and Solar Group, and the heat pumps from Thermonova fit naturally into our initiatives, explains Berit Brockstedt Olsen, Sustainability Manager at Solar Norge.
- Optimisation of technical installations and energy-efficient solutions are important steps to reduce energy consumption, costs and CO₂ emissions. The transition to Thermonova gives us a reduction of as much as 93%, she says.
- This is due to both the utilisation of surplus heat and the use of electricity from renewable sources as opposed to district heating, which is often based on fossil fuels or high-temperature processes.
Easy to install – almost plug-and-play
Solar Norge has installed a total of seven heat pumps in two facilities outside our buildings.
- We were able to keep the entire existing facility indoors, and only parts of the piping and circulation pumps had to be rebuilt, says Rafi Ahmed.
Thermonova's philosophy is that any installation challenges should be solved at the factory.
- Each heat pump is thoroughly tested in its own test chamber before delivery, says Mads Hougaard.
- This makes the installation faster and more predictable for the customer.
- Heat pumps with propane work best in the cold, says Project Manager at Solar Norge, Rafi Ahmed. (Photo: Storybold)
- Our Thermonova heat pumps will give us 93% less CO2emissions than the district heating solution we had before, says Sustainability Manager at Solar Norge, Berit Brockstedt Olsen. (Photo: Solar Norge)
Success stories – also from cold Greenland
- For customers in cold climates, an effective defrost function is extremely important, says Mads Hougaard.
- Our Thermonova heat pumps often defrost in a third of the time used by our competitors.
In Greenland, Thermonova became the only supplier to pass all the quality tests in a major project – and, thus, also the only one to deliver heat pumps that worked satisfactorily in extreme cold.
Knowledge we can share with our customers
- By using Thermonova's heat pumps ourselves, we get first-hand experience with a product we will now actively offer in the Norwegian market, says Peter Strangeland.
- We collaborate with external partners, who can be responsible for installation throughout the country. Just get in touch – and we will be happy to show you how profitable, energy-efficient and sustainable Thermonova's heat pumps can be for both your heating needs and your sustainability goals.