Ground source heat pumps

Heat your home with energy absorbed from the ground.

Ground source heat pumps use pipes buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground. This is usually used to heat radiators or underfloor heating systems and hot water.

Beneath the surface the ground stays at a fairly constant temperature, so a ground source heat pump can be used throughout the year - even in the middle of winter.

The benefits of ground source heat pumps

• Can reduce your carbon footprint: heat pumps can lower your home's carbon emissions, depending on which fuel you are replacing
• Can provide space heating and hot water
• Can lower fuel bills, especially if you are currently using conventional electric heating
• It's often classed as a 'fit and forget' technology because it needs little maintenance
• Generate money through the Renewable Heat Incentive (see our RHI page for more information).

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 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 or coal heating system a ground source heating system will save you more on your heating bills. Heat pumps are not recommended for homes on the gas network
• What type of heating system will you use? Underfloor heating systems, larger radiators or low temperature fan convectors (warm air heating) can perform better than standard radiator-based systems because of the lower water temperatures required
• Is the system intended for a new development? Combining the installation with other building work can reduce the cost of installing the system.