About Ground Source Heat Pumps
Heat Pump Tech can fully design, supply and install ground source heat pump systems.
Ground source heat pumps can be connected to underfloor heating, radiators and heat your hot water. We can customise the installation to suit your requirements, this can be achieved using different ground collectors, i.e. horizontal, vertical, or even water sources.
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The benefits of ground source heat pumps
- It could lower your fuel bills, especially if you replace conventional electric heating.
- Possible government grant available.
- Lower home carbon emissions.
- There are no fuel deliveries needed.
- It will heat your home as well as your water.
- There is minimal maintenance required.
- Unlike gas and oil boilers, heat pumps deliver heat at lower temperatures.
- They are more involved to install than air source heat pumps, but ground source heat pumps are typically more energy efficient.
How do ground source heat pumps work?
Heat from the ground is absorbed at low temperatures into the fluid inside a loop of pipe (a ground loop) buried underground. The fluid then passes through a refrigeration system that raises it to a higher temperature, which then heats water for the heating and hot water circuits of the house.
The cooled ground-loop fluid passes back into the ground where it absorbs further energy from the ground in a continuous process as long as heating is required.
If there is enough space, the collector loop can be laid horizontally in a trench below ground. Where there isn’t room to do this you can drill vertical boreholes.
The space you need for a horizontal loop, and the depth you need for a borehole, will depend on many factors – Heat Pump Tech will design the collector array based on local conditions and the heat requirements of your home.
Costs
Installation and running costs depend entirely on the size of installation you require and how well your property is insulated. Each system we design and install is bespoke.
Savings
Generating heating and hot water by means of a heat pump is not only a renewable source but can also benefit you by costing less to run. Savings are determined by the following,
Your heat distribution system:
Insulating all pipework will reduce waste heat and ensure the heat will reach the areas where it is required, heat pumps typically operate at lower water temperatures than, e.g. a gas boiler.
The lower water temperature works well with underfloor heating systems. If choosing radiators then these will need to be sized correctly to match the heat loss of the space. Heat Pump Tech can provide a full room-by-room heat loss survey.
Your fuel costs:
Heat pumps use electricity to generate heat; due to the refrigeration cycle, this can be around 500% efficient, i.e. for 1kw of electricity consumed 5kw of heat is generated.
Depending on your current heat source and fuel cost, you could see a large reduction in energy bills.
Your old heating system:
Older systems are generally less efficient at generating heating and hot water meaning you will expect to see a reduction in heating bills.
Hot Water:
Whilst heat pumps are suitable to generate adequate hot water for your home, a weekly pasteurisation cycle may require electric immersion (Built-in) to top up the water temperature for this cycle. Solar PV / solar thermal systems complement this cycle and reduce the power consumed and improve heat pump efficiency.
Using the controls:
Heat pumps include a broad spectrum of controllability and settings adjustment, Heat Pump Tech engineers will commission the control settings to get the best performance from your heat pump. Heat Pump Tech engineers will also give you a full demonstration of how to operate your controls should you wish to make minor alterations.
Things to Consider
Here are several key points when considering a Ground Source Heat Pump
Space
Do you have enough land to install a horizontal ground collector? If space is limited can vertical boreholes be drilled?
Insulation?
Reducing the heat loss from your home reduces the heat required to maintain a comfortable environment.
Fuel Type Being Replaced
Depending on your existing fuel type (Electricity, Oil or Solid Fuel) will determine the savings achieved by installing a Ground Source Heat Pump.
Heating System Emitter
Heat pumps operate at lower water temperatures. Therefore, they work well with under floor heating. Radiators are also suitable for heat pumps providing they are sized correctly.
New Builds / Extensions
Planning building work with heat pump installation can reduce installation costs
Maintenance
Heat pump systems typically come with a warranty of 5/7 years but can vary depending on the manufacturer. Workmanship warranties for heat pumps can last up to 10 years, for example through QANW (Quality Assured National Warranties).
Many manufacturers also offer optional extensions of warranty for a fee.
You can expect them to operate for 20 years or more, but they do require regular scheduled maintenance.
A yearly check by you and a more detailed check by a professional installer every 12 months should be sufficient.
The installer should leave written details of any maintenance checks you should undertake to ensure everything is working properly. Consult with your supplier for exact maintenance requirements before you commit to installing a heat pump.
These may include pre-heating season checks of the water pump, external pipes and fittings and electronics.
Let us sort it so that you can focus on what you need to do.
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Areas We Cover
Heat Pump Tech provides services to customers across the north of England.
- Northumberland
- Cumbria
- Durham
- Yorkshire
- Lancashire
- Greater Manchester
- Cheshire
- Merseyside
- Derbyshire
- Notts
- Lincolnshire
- Shropshire
- Stafford
- Leicestershire
- Warwickshire
