Hydrocarbon heat pumps for Solihull DHW network
16th July 2025
UK: Refra has supplied six hydrocarbon heat pumps for a new district heating network under construction in Solihull, West Midlands.
The network, which is backed by a £9.6m loan from the National Wealth Fund, will deliver sustainable heating, hot water and power to council buildings within the town centre, as well as nearby education campuses. Future phases will then connect other buildings in the town centre and also link to planned commercial developments. Initially there will be no residential connections; however this will continue to be planned for in future phases.
More than 5km of pipework has now been installed of the planned 5.5km underground pipe network while a state-of-the-art energy centre is already nearing completion.
The overall project is being delivered by Vital Energi who will design, build, operate and maintain the new network. Vital Energi, a leading national player in the heat network and low carbon energy sector, has previously delivered similar networks in Leeds and Liverpool.
Heat pump manufacturer Refra has supplied five R290 air-to-water heat pumps with cooling capacities of 169.8kW and heating capacity of 171.6kW and an R600a water-to-water heat pump with a cooling capacity of 1316kW and heating capacity of 1694kW. The installation was carried out by Absolutely Chilled Ltd.
The initial funding required to get this carbon saving scheme off the ground was provided by the Government’s Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) and West Midlands Combined Authority.
