Ground Source Heat Pumps
Heat pumps don’t actually generate heat; they simply act as a device to move heat from one place to another. By passing water and antifreeze mixture around an external heat collector such as a series of boreholes or buried pipes, the ground source heat pump collects “low grade” heat from the ground. This ‘low grade’ heat is transferred to the refrigerant in the heat pump which is then compressed by the compressor; this has the effect of raising the temperature of the refrigerant creating ‘high grade’ heat. By passing this through a further heat exchanger, this “high grade” heat can then be passed round the house for central heating and hot water just as a normal central heating system works.
Though it may seem long winded, this process is actually very efficient. For every unit of electricity that a heat pump uses over the course of a year, a good ground source heat pump installation can deliver the homeowner up to and sometimes over 4 units of heat – that’s efficiency on average of 400%, on average four times better than direct electric heating!
Ground source heat pumps are similar to air-source heat pumps in that they require the collector (ground) and emitter (radiator) temperatures to be as close as possible in order to provide heat at the greatest efficiency. The advantage with a GSHP is that collector temperature remains at a relatively steady temperature all year round whilst the air from which the ASHP collects its energy varies with each season. This means that as the outside temperature lowers during the colder parts of winter, a GSHP will continue to work efficiently, at a time when you need heating the most.
If you have a project or are considering a change to your home comfort, please contact us and one of our design experts can help you make the right choice for the years to come.
If you are thinking about installing a GSHP, there are a few things you need to consider first. You need to have space to fit the collector pipes on your property to act as the energy source for the heat pump.
A ground source heat pump is capable of the highest efficiencies available on the market compared to all other heating technologies. Not only that, the renewable heat incentive pays the highest tariff available for all eligible technologies making it the most attractive option on the market if you have the space.
Just a note on our experience with ground source heat pumps, we have been installing them for a long time at Matrix, before this we worked for a number of European manufacturers designing systems and supporting installers across the country.
We have designed, installed, commissioned, handed over and maintain GSHP systems from 5kW through to 650kW in the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors.