Ground source heat pumps
Ground source heat pumps harness natural heat to provide hot water and heating. They do this by pumping water through underground pipes before using electricity to increase the temperature.
Take a look at some of our previous ground source heat pump installations by checking out our Gallery
Benefits of ground source heat pumps
Reduced heating bills
Reduced heating bills compared to traditional boiler-based central heating systems or direct electric heaters. Heat pumps provide over 3kW of heat for every 1kW of electricity they consume.
Grant funding payments
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme launches on May 23rd 2022, providing upfront grants of £5,000 for air source, and £6,000 for ground source heat pumps when replacing an existing fossil fuel boiler or direct electric heating system by an MCS accredited installer. T & C’s apply.
Find more details and scheme updates here
Improved air quality
Improved air quality inside and outside the home as no fossil fuels are being burnt.
Reduced carbon emissions
Reduced carbon emissions when compared to traditional fossil fuel boilers and direct electric heaters. Go zero–carbon when combined with a 100% renewable electricity tariff.
Single heating system
Provides all heating and hot water requirements where required. No additional or back-up system required.
Safety
Increased safety inside the home as there is no risk of carbon monoxide build up.
How do ground source heat pumps work?
Ground source technology
A correctly sized ground source heat pump is typically 400% efficient. The heat pump consumes 1kW of electricity to collect a large volume of low temperature energy from the ground. It compresses this energy to produce an equivalent 4kW of higher temperature heating and hot water.
Horizontal ground loops
Ground loops are installed within 1m deep trenches, providing a stable year round ground temperature. Fluid within the pipework is warmed up by the ground and brought back to the heat pump. Ground loops range from 200m to 300m or can be installed in a shorter slinky arrangement. Loops can also be installed within lakes or other bodies of water.
Standard groundwork costs of £5-£10/m mean that they are much cheaper to install than boreholes at £40-£60/m.
Loops require a lot of space. You need approximately twice the heated floor area to install an efficient collector. E.G. 400m2 of ground area to heat a 200m2 floor area.
Vertical borehole loop
U-tubes are installed within 80m-100m deep boreholes and operate the same way as horizontal loops. Boreholes require very little space so can be installed on smaller sites, or save land for future use such as additional buildings.
Loop design
Loop and borehole design is critical. The heat pump needs to collect a sufficient volume of energy to be able to efficiently meet the heating and hot water demand of the building.
Water source
Ground water can also be extracted and used as the energy source. This can be installed at lower cost and provides high efficiencies. However, ground water volume and quality needs to be guaranteed which is not always possible.