Air source, ground source heat pumps, boreholes, horizontal piping - it’s a lot of information to take in, and it can be challenging to know the right option for you.
Heat pumps are the future of heating our homes. Especially since the government announced the implementation of the 2025 boiler ban, it’s even more important to understand the renewable heating options out there.
This guide will focus on ground source heat pumps, specifically boreholes. You’ll learn;
What is a ground source heat pump?
As of today, ground source heat pumps are one of the most efficient renewable heating systems on the market.
Let’s get into the technical stuff (or you can skip to the 2 types of ground source heat pumps).
Ground source heat pumps are a network of specialised water pipes buried underground and attached to a heat pump system. This system sits next to your home, usually in the garden or at the side of your home.
The heat from the soil is then absorbed by the piping system, which circulates a mixture of water and antifreeze, absorbing the thermal energy from the ground.
This thermal energy is then compressed, by a compressor, to increase the temperature further. This is then passed to the heat exchanger and into your home, including your radiators, underfloor heating and water cylinders.
Being a renewable energy system, once the heated liquid is distributed, it’s then passed through to the expansion valve, which cools the liquid before repeating the very efficient cycle.
Different Types of Ground Source Heat Pumps
If you decide to opt for ground source heat pumps rather than air source heat pumps, you need to consider which type will work best for you and your home.
You have two options; horizontal heat pumps or vertical heat pumps, also known as borehole heat pumps.
A horizontal ground source heat pump system is laid in around 2m horizontal trenches. The underground piping system is usually spread across 700 sq meters.
Vertical ground source heat pumps are placed in deep boreholes underground, with less space being needed.
Benefits of Borehole Ground Source Heat Pumps
Unlike horizontal, vertical heat pumps use boreholes. A large surface area isn’t required as the piping system is fed underground. A major benefit being it allows people that have smaller outside areas and gardens to make use of the renewable system.
Drawbacks of Borehole Ground Source Heat Pumps
Due to the depth, there is a lot of time and manual labour needed to create the piping system's boreholes. This results in the cost being considerably more than if you could get horizontal heat pumps.
Ground source heat pump borehole cost
Adding up the installation time, labour and systems, you can expect to spend anywhere from £20,000 to £40,000.
On average, boreholes cost around £25 - £100 per meter. In comparison, trenches cost around £2 - £5 per meter due to being shallower.
Borehole heat pumps do take more time to install, but they’ll be your best option for renewable heating if you lack space.
Contact the Green Energy team today if you’d like to discuss whether horizontal or vertical ground source heat pumps would be best for you.