Reading Climate Forum hosts talk about carbon emissions

For all aspiring geologists, Reading Climate Forum will learn how heat pumps can replace gas boilers to reduce climate-changing carbon emissions and improve air quality.

Water flowing in the fractured chalk layers below Reading, Berkshire provides a natural source of heat which can be upgraded to provide space and water heating.

Dr. Rayner Mayer will lead discussion on: Ground source heat pumps - Realising Reading’s shallow geothermal resource.

The meeting will include a presentation from Kensa Heat Pumps and discussion of the local hydro-geology.

Dr. Mayer said: “Reading is uniquely placed to decarbonise its heat demand by virtue of its unique underlying geology.

"The water flowing in the fractured chalk layers between 20 and 200 metres beneath the surface provides a shallow geothermal resource whose heat could be concentrated using ground source heat pumps to provide space and water heating for all Reading’s dwellings.”

The meeting will hear what heat pumps are, how they work, and how their large scale deployment could both benefit Reading’s citizens and reduce the production of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

The presentations will be followed by a discussion about the desirability of undertaking a monitored trial in Reading by retrofitting a group of dwellings with higher levels of insulation and providing geothermal heating via a small district heating scheme.

This Reading Climate Forum event will be at 7.30pm on Monday, November 20 in the conference hall at RISC, London Street, Reading, RG1 4PS.