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When buying a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) for you property, you will need to consider both the size of the system and the best way of installing the ground loop.
The size of the pump and the loop largely depend on your property's heating needs.
AW Plumbing Services are an accredited Ground Source Heat Pump installer, and can advise you which system would best suit your needs. We are also able to advise on the grants which may be available to you.
How it works
There are three important elements to a ground source heat pump :-
1 - The ground loop
This is comprised of lengths of pipe buried in the ground, 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 ground loop can be:
- Vertical , for use in boreholes
- Horizontal, for use in trenches
- Spiral, coil or 'slinky', also for use in trenches
2 - A heat pump
In the same way that your fridge uses refrigerant to extract heat from the inside, keeping your food cool, a ground source heat pump extracts heat from the ground, and uses it to heat your home.
A ground source heat pump has three main parts :-
- The evaporator, (e.g. the squiggly thing in the cold part of your fridge) 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.
3 - Heat distribution system
This consists of under floor heating or radiators for space heating and in some cases water storage for hot water supply.
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