Ground Source Heat Pumps

Efficiently heat your buildings and produce hot water all year by harvesting the Earth's energy

RenEnergy are MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) approved installers for all ground source heat pumps. We have installed over 200 heat pumps so we know the advantages and the pitfalls better than anyone. Here is some basic information about ground source heat pumps and what they do.

A heat pump takes low grade heat from the air/ground/water and turns it into useful heat for space heating and hot water. A heat pump is like a fridge in reverse; a fridge takes the heat from the food you put in it and pumps it out into the room to keep the food cool. A heat pump takes the heat from the ground/air/water source and pumps it into your house.

A ground source heat pump takes heat from ground through buried loops which are filled with an antifreeze solution. The loops can be placed horizontally in a trench of 1.5 -1/8m deep or vertically in bore holes; both are equally efficient.

The liquid in the loops takes heat from the ground which stays between 7 - 12°C all year round. The liquid travels through the loops into the mains powered heat pump, the absorbed heat is extracted and the liquid travels back outside through the return loops.

Inside the electrically powered ground source heat pump a ‘heat pump cycle’ magnifies the heat taken from the ground up to the temperature the system requires. The hot water is accumulated in a buffer tank, which then is used to feed the heating system.

GSHP installation considerations

Heat pumps should only be installed in a well-insulated building.

New builds are ideal for GSHP as it makes positioning the plant room and pipework easier but they can be retrofitted fairly easily

GSHP require a large amount of land for the outdoor pipework. A rule of thumb is twice the area of the building you’re heating but this is dependent on many factors including soil type and the heat loss of your property.

GSHP fall under permitted development and do not normally require planning permission.

Bore holes use a smaller area of land, and cause less disturbance but are more costly to install.

Heat pump efficiency

The performance of heat pumps is rated as a CoP or Coefficient of Performance. This measures how many units of heat are generated per unit of electricity used to run the system. The CoP is dependent on many things but the following is a typical for a well designed system.

A GSHP has a CoP of 4 – for every unit of electricity you put in you generate 4 units of heat

Economics

The payback time of a GSHP varies depending on the size of the system.

As of June 2011 it is expected that heat pump installations will be eligible for the Renewable Heat Incentive. You can find out more about the RHI here.

Suppliers

RenEnergy offer a wide range of quality heat pumps each with their own specific advantages depending on a client’s requirements. Our suppliers include Viessmann, Daikin Altherma, Vailliant, Delonghi and Nibe.

You can download our full information sheets below or call us on 0845 225 2727 to discuss your project in detail.

Domestic Heat PumpCommercial Heat Pumps