Ground Source Heating
We offer complete Ground Source Water Heating solutions from design through to installation and support. We can source components from a wide range of suppliers giving you optimum performance at the best price possible.
Design
The design of a Ground Source Water Heating system will depend entirely on your property and requirements. An initial site survey will determine what type of solution will best suit your home. Considerations include the number of rooms to be heated, existing water & heating installations and available land.
System
A Ground Source Water Heating system involves out of doors earth works as detailed in the diagram below:
Essentially there are three primary components:
- Tubing
- Pump
- Cylinder
Secondary elements include piping, wiring and fixtures. In many cases, modifications can be made to existing immersion heaters resulting in savings associated with not requiring a new specialist solar cylinder.
Component Sourcing
Bucks Solar solutions specialise in sourcing the most appropriate solution for your needs which means specifying equipment from a range of manufacturers, many of which are detailed individually on this site to the right.
Installation
Typically installation takes a couple of weeks. The most challenging aspect of installing a Ground Source Water Heating system are the earthworks. Digging is carried out either by a small JCB for flat configurations or by a drilling rig for a vertical configuration. A Ground Water Source pump and control system is then installed at a suitable location in the house, usually near the current immersion heater. Once the pump is fitted either a cylinder is installed at a suitable location or the existing emersion heater is modified. We then connect the plumbing and electrics and carry out testing. Once completed, any final finishing touches such as replastering, painting and other cosmetic improvements are carried out.
How does a ground source heat pump work?
A ground source heat pump circulates a mixture of water and antifreeze around a loop of pipe - called a ground loop - which is buried in the garden. When the liquid travels around the loop it absorbs heat from the ground - used to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems and even hot water.
The length of the ground loop depends on the size of your home and the amount of heat you need - longer loops can draw more heat from the ground.
Normally the loop is laid flat, or coiled in trenches about two metres deep, but if there is not enough space in your garden you can install a vertical loop to a depth of up to 100 metres.
The efficiency of a ground source heat pump is measured by a coefficient of performance (CoP) - the amount of heat it produces compared to the amount of electricity needed to run it. A typical CoP for a ground source heat pump is around 3.2 without any reductions for the type of distribution system.
The benefits of ground source heat pumps
- Reduce your CO2 emissions: on average a ground source heat pump could save around 540kg of carbon dioxide every year when replacing an oil boiler.
- Eliminate your fuel bills: ground source heat pumps run on electricity, so there's no need to pay for gas, oil or solid fuels to heat your home.
- Cut down on wasted electricity: heating your home with a ground source heat pump is much more efficient than using electric radiators.
Is a ground source heat pump suitable for my home?
To tell if a ground source heat pump is right for you, there are a few key questions to consider:
- Is your garden suitable for a ground loop? It doesn't have to be particularly large, but the ground needs to be suitable for digging a trench or a borehole and accessible to digging machinery.
- Is your home well insulated? Since ground source heat pumps produce a lower temperature heat than traditional boilers, it's essential that your home is insulated and draught proofed well for the heating system to be effective. It could also make the system cheaper and smaller.
- What fuel will you be replacing? If you're replacing an electric, oil, Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) or coal heating system, a ground source heating system will pay for itself quite quickly. If you're replacing a new, more efficient heating system, your savings will be smaller.
- What type of heating system do you want? Underfloor heating systems or warm air heating will work much better than radiator-based systems.
- Is the system intended for a new development? Combining the installation with other building work can reduce the cost of installing the system.
Costs and savings
Costs of installing a typical system range from about £7,000 to £13,000. Running costs for a year, where all hot water and space heating can be provided by the system are likely to be around £650 per year, but will depend on a number of factors - including the size of your home and how well insulated it is.
Savings can be considerable - up to 540kg of CO2 and £160 if you're replacing an oil-fired central heating system.
To reduce your home's CO2 emissions further, consider installing solar electricity or some other form of renewable electricity generating system to power the compressor and pump.
| Fuel Displaced | £ Saving per year | CO2 saving per year |
| Gas | £190 | No saving |
| Electricity | £840 | 6 tonnes |
| Oil | £160 | 540kg |
| Solid | £600 | 5.6 tonnes |
Savings above assume ground source heat pump installed in a detached property which provides 100% of space heating and up to 50% of domestic hot water, the additional 50% is met through an electric heater.
Air and water source heat pumps These systems use similar principles to ground source heat pumps to extract heat from air or water instead of the ground.
Air source heat pumps can be fitted outside a house or in the roof space and generally perform better at slightly warmer air temperatures. Water source heat pumps can be used to provide heating in homes near to rivers, streams and lakes.
The Next Step
If you are interested in Ground Source Water Heating then please give us a call on 01494 674 075 for a free no obligation consultation.