Mitsubishi Electric air-to-air heat pumps are now providing cooling to the critically endangered snow leopards at Chester Zoo, supporting their comfort while also helping the zoo reduce energy use across its estate.
The project forms part of Chester Zoo’s wider partnership with Mitsubishi Electric to reduce carbon emissions across the 128-acre site, which has committed to becoming net zero in scope one and two emissions by 2030.
Native to cold, mountainous regions of Central and South Asia, snow leopards require carefully managed environments and need to stay cool during the warmer summer months. To meet this need, two indoor habitats have been equipped with a 3.3kW Mitsubishi Electric MXZ-F R32 inverter heat pump and two PEAD-M R32 power inverter heat pumps, providing cooling and comfort for the endangered species.
“We’ve created two indoor habitats for the snow leopards to use when it’s too warm outside for them,” explains Robert Arathoon, M&E Project Manager at Chester Zoo. “The new air-to-air heat pumps are an efficient solution and provide a lovely cool spot for them in the summer, where visitors can view them without disturbing them.”
Renovations to the snow leopard habitat are part of a long-standing partnership between Chester Zoo and Mitsubishi Electric, which has included the provision of air source heat pumps, air conditioning and ventilation to The Square, the zoo’s purpose-built butterfly and Eastern Black Rhino habitats.
“It’s so important that we take an active approach to align our own processes and infrastructure with the zoo’s broader ecological mission. That means developing sustainable plans that help the zoo reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero,” explains Jennifer Kelly, Head of Sustainability at Chester Zoo. “This fantastic partnership with Mitsubishi Electric is helping us to achieve these ambitions and helping to showcase low carbon heat pump technology right across our site in some of the most challenging applications for low carbon technology.”
