Sustainability Turtle shelter in Harkema, with 27kW heat pump power!

For years, we have been making the sanctuary more sustainable, both for the environment and to keep costs down…

The costs for energy are enormously high for any shelter, often sick animals have to be kept warm and with turtles almost always. Since they are cold-blooded, they always need an external heat source. Energy costs have risen enormously in recent years, so quickly that it was sometimes difficult to pay the energy costs. Thanks to our donors, we have regularly received help. But just filling gaps won’t get you there, it’s important to actively tackle one of the biggest cost items.

In order to make quick jumps, we have 2 years ago of Stichting DierenLot receive a sustainability loan. With this we have been able to realize many projects, such as the installation of 82 additional solar panels, double glazing, a part of roof insulation, ceiling insulation, ventilation systems and now most recently the “replacement” of the heating system. Upgrading the existing central heating system proved not cost-effective, so the system remains intact as a backup and we have chosen to focus on heating with heat pump air conditioning systems.

Recently, we have to our full satisfaction installed no less than 5 heat pump air conditioning units by AircoMontage North from Surhuisterveen. These systems are an addition to our existing natural gas heating. The advantage is that we can switch to natural gas on really cold frost days (about 50 days a year) and the other days we have more than enough heat from the new electric heating. We are already seeing huge savings compared to natural gas. This heat pump system is much more efficient in heat distribution than the old gas system from the early 1990s. An example: to make 27,000 watts of heat, the whole system consumes only around 8000 watts per hour!! On sunny days we can generate this energy directly with our solar panels.

Stichting DierenLot thank you very much for your relentless help and AircoMontage North for the advice and the professional fast delivery of the whole.