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Ground Source Heat Pumps

Key Benefits

Reduce your heating and hot water bill by up to 100%
Payback period typically 5-8 years, with future savings of £1000's every year thereafter
Protect against hikes in fuel prices, e.g. a £1000 bill this year could become £2000 in 5yrs and £4000 in 10yrs - with ground source heating, you could be saving this amount instead of paying it!
Most effective with underfloor heating, over-sized radiators, and aluminium radiators
Life expectancy typically 20-25 years
Add £1000's in value and a unique selling point to your property

What is Ground Source Heating?

Ground source heat pumps use a buried ground loop which transfers heat from the ground into a building to provide space heating and, in some cases, to pre-heat domestic hot water.

How does it work?

There are a number of components that make heat pumps incredibly efficient in the right environment:

Ground loop - comprises of various lengths of pipe buried in the ground outside the property, either in a borehole or a horizontal trench. The pipe is usually a closed circuit and is filled with a mixture of water and antifreeze, which is pumped around the pipe absorbing heat from the ground. The three most common types of ground loop are:

Vertical (for boreholes)
Horizontal (for trenches)
Spiral, coil or 'slinky' (for trenches)

Heat pump - this works similarly to your fridge in that it uses refrigerant to extract heat from one location and transform it into a more appropriate form in another location. In this particular example, the heat pump extracts heat from the ground and transfers it into your home for space heating and hot water. Essentially it comprises three main parts:

The evaporator absorbs the heat using the liquid in the ground loop
The compressor, (this is what makes the noise in a fridge) moves the refrigerant round the heat pump and compresses the gaseous refrigerant to the temperature needed for the heat distribution circuit
The condenser, (the hot part at the back of your fridge) gives up heat to a hot water tank which feeds the distribution system.

The efficiency of a ground source heat pump system is measured by the coefficient of performance (CoP). This is the ratio of units of heat output for each unit of electricity used to drive the compressor and pump for the ground loop. Typical CoPs range from 3 to 4. This means that for every unit of electricity used to pump the heat, 3-4 units of heat are produced, making it an efficient way of heating a building. A ground source heat pump can have lower running costs than oil, LPG, coal and electric heating systems, however it is more expensive than mains gas. If grid electricity is used for the compressor and pump, then you should consult a range of energy suppliers to benefit from the lowest running costs, for example by choosing an economy 10 or economy 7 tariff.

The heat distribution itself is best delivered through underfloor heating or aluminium radiators - the reason being that both systems require the water to reach a temperature of only 40-45degrees. Oversized radiators are also a viable option, but standard radiators are less so.

The benefits

Ground source heat pumps do not require any external fuel therefore running costs are kept to an absolute minimum. Furthermore you will be unaffected by continued fuel price increases.

In many case, a system can be designed to meet your entire heating and hot water demand.

The life expectancy of most system is in the region of 20+ years, thereby enabling you to benefit hugely from one of the most cost-effective renewable energy sources.

Is it suitable for my home or business?

You will need both the right kind of space heating system as well as sufficient land (usually garden or driveway) to maximise efficiency of the installation. Usually this is a combination of underfloor heating and/or oversized/aluminium radiators, coupled with space for the coils or bores.

If you are planning on excavating part of your garden, or building a driveway, then having the additional groundwork done at the same time will likely save you time, disruption and money. Likewise, if you are planning a new-buid or sizeable extension then you may like to consider ground source heating as a very feasible means of savings £1000's year after year.

Costs and savings

Entry-level systems for well-insulated 3 x bedroom properties are available for approximately £10000-£13000, with costs rising in excess of £25000 for significantly larger properties that suffer from minimal insulation.

Although significant savings are available to those running mains gas, bigger savings can be had by those running on oil, LPG or electricity.

Running costs are kept to a minimum with electricity needed only for the pump(s).

Savings can be enormous, with many people recouping their investment in 5-6 years then savings £1000's every year thereafter.

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