STAFF at Three Rivers District Council celebrated the unveiling of a state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly air conditioning and heating unit on Wednesday morning.

With gas and electricity process soaring, the Rickmansworth based council has installed at its Northway offices an underground closed loop heat pump – a device which uses the natural heat or coolness trapped under the surface to pump warm or cold air into the council’s debating chamber.

A series of pipes are buried two metres below the Basing Gardens, where there is a more constant temperature level compared to the much wider variations in air temperature.

Because the ground is warmer than the air in winter and cooler than the air in summer, the system can help provide both heating and cooling at different times of the year – saving on energy and reducing carbon emissions.

Sustainability spokesman Councillor Alison Scarth said: “Council decisions are best made with a cool head, even if issues may be discussed with heated debate.

“Ground source heat pumps are a clever and practical idea – making a long term difference in reducing carbon-dioxide emissions and heating bills.

“In the long run, projects like this will reduce tax bills.”