Efficiency for Sports Complexes with Ecoforest Heat Pumps

The new Complex Vitea Lúdic Esportiu Municipal de Ascó (Tarragona) showcases the potential of a smart climate control system integrating heat pumps, ventilation, dehumidification, and heat recovery. Ecoforest’s solution not only ensures comfort in spaces with opposing thermal demands but does so while optimising energy consumption, reducing the payback period to under ten years.

The Ascó sports complex posed significant challenges due to high heating and DHW demands needed to maintain the pool temperature between 27ºC and 29ºC, provide domestic hot water, climate-control the building and restaurant, and support high-demand areas such as the sauna. Simultaneously, exercise rooms require cooling to dissipate heat generated by users. In total, the facility demands 321.4 kW (78 kW for the pool, 56.1 kW for DHW, and up to 205.5 kW for cooling).

Energy Hub

To meet this demand, the complex is equipped with a cascade of three high-power Ecoforest ecoGEO⁺ HP water-to-water heat pumps. These units provide simultaneous heating, cooling, and DHW through a single, highly efficient system enhanced with High Temperature Recovery (HTR) technology.

The installation also integrates photovoltaic solar energy, storing surplus energy as thermal energy in water tanks, effectively turning the building into a thermal battery. The result is outstanding energy efficiency: to produce 321.4 kW of thermal power, the system consumes only 71.4 kW of electricity, achieving a COP of 4.5 in this setup.

Efficiency and Savings

Thanks to the high efficiency of the ground-source heat pumps, the building achieves annual energy savings of 89,250 kWh, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 29.5 tons of CO₂ per year.

This high performance translates to a reduced payback period, estimated between 5 and 8 years,well below conventional installations in pool complexes, which are typically associated with high maintenance costs.

From that point, the thermal energy generated and the 133,000 kWh of annual solar production become net benefits, consolidating a long-term efficient and profitable energy solution.

A Multidisciplinary Team

The Ascó sports complex is the result of collaboration among architecture, engineering, and construction professionals.

The architectural design was developed by Rosa M. Poyo Perelló (Estudi Arquitectura), creating a building that blends functionality, well-being, and energy efficiency.

Energy engineering was defined by Ingeniería Quadrifoli, maximising geothermal potential, while Quali Geotermia executed the boreholes.

Construction and installation were carried out by Romà Infraestructures, delivering an advanced technical solution driven by the Ascó City Council toward a more sustainable energy model.