Mitsubishi's Role in Chester Zoo's Green Climate Control

With more than 30,000 animals and 500 species, Chester Zoo is one of the UK's largest zoological institutions, as well as one of its most popular tourist attractions.

In 2025, the zoo unveiled its Heart of Africa habitat, a vast 22-acre environment designed to replicate African savannah ecosystems.

Understandably, though, recreating these climates in the brisk UK weather requires a great deal of energy. Maintaining stable, species-specific temperatures, especially through the winter, necessitates a heating system that is both reliable and clean.

To meet this demand, the zoo has turned to Mitsubishi Electric’s air source heat pump technology, replacing conventional fossil fuel-based systems with renewable alternatives.

Renewable heat systems in complex environments

Chester Zoo remains the most visited paid attraction in England outside London, welcoming a record 2.1 million visitors in 2025.

Alongside its conservation mission, the organisation is increasingly focused on energy efficiency and emissions reduction across its 130-acre site.

“We’re able to deliver different temperatures to different parts of the habitat to make sure that each animal has got the right environmental conditions to exactly match their needs,” says Chris Newman, Net Zero Design Manager for Mitsubishi Electric.

“Our partnership with the zoo is not just about decarbonising existing buildings on the estate, but also about making sure that any new buildings are also designed and built with sustainability in mind.”

At the centre of the system are two Mitsubishi Electric CAHV commercial heat pumps, delivering a combined 80kW of heating capacity.

Air source heat pumps extract ambient heat from outdoor air and convert it into usable thermal energy, offering a lower-carbon alternative to gas-based systems while improving energy efficiency and reducing operational costs.

Radiant panels installed above the enclosure distribute heat evenly, maintaining temperatures between 18 and 24°C depending on species requirements.

“The Heart of Africa experience is part of our biggest development at the zoo in more than 10 years,” says Robert Arathoon, M&E Project Manager, at Chester Zoo.

“We’re pleased that such a large-scale project has been designed with sustainability at its core, using renewable heat pump technology to minimise our carbon footprint.”

Mitsubishi has also integrated air conditioning and renewable heating systems into the luxury guest lodges within the same zone, extending the site’s low-carbon infrastructure.

Energy efficiency across the estate

The partnership builds on previous deployments across the zoo, including at ‘The Square’, a hybrid event space combining Grade II-listed stables blocks with a contemporary conference venue.

In 2025, energy upgrades at the zoo saw the installation of new heat pump systems, capable of balancing the thermal demands of heritage architecture with modern low-temperature heating and low-GWP cooling technologies.

“We know that we can’t be part of the problem that we’re trying to solve, so we need to develop sustainable plans that help the zoo reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero,” says Jennifer Kelly, Head of Sustainability at Chester Zoo.

Further installations in 2025 extended renewable heating to additional enclosures, including The Butterfly Habitat and the Eastern Black Rhino house.

The success of these systems is already evident, with a baby rhinoceros born following the upgrades, demonstrating that energy-efficient infrastructure can coexist with high standards of animal welfare.

By prioritising electrified heating and renewable energy systems, Chester Zoo is advancing towards its goal of net zero emissions by 2030.

The project highlights how energy innovation can support both operational resilience and environmental stewardship within conservation-led organisations.