Generating your own energy is becoming increasingly popular with people concerned about the environment. The two highest-profile choices are domestic wind turbines and solar panels, but there are a variety of other options – including geothermal heating.
The idea of using geothermal energy is far from a new one – the Romans used a form of it to heat their bathing complexes and a public heating system was built in Idaho in the 1890s.
While the technology used for geothermal heating has changed, the basic concept remains the same. It is all about harnessing the earth’s natural heat and converting it into a form that can be used for practical heating purposes.
In countries such as New Zealand, Iceland and the Philippines, geothermal energy is used in power stations. Conditions are not right for that to work well in the UK, but the earth is warm enough all year round for a domestic ground source heat pump in your garden to be an effective way of heating your home.
How do ground source heat pumps work?
Ground source heat pumps are relatively simple pieces of technology.
The pump is used to circulate a mixture of water and anti-freeze around a loop of pipe buried around two metres underground. As the ground has natural heat, the fluid gets warmer as it travels through the pipes.
As it passes through the heat pump compressor, the fluid reaches a temperature which can be used to heat the water in the property’s central heating system.
The fluid then begins to cool and returns to the underground part of the loop of pipe to start the process of absorbing heat from the ground again.
Although ground source heat pumps will not heat the water for your heating system to the same temperature as a conventional boiler, you will find them to be an effective and efficient alternative.
Will a ground source heat pump work in my home?
Ground source heat pumps are not suitable for every home. For a start, you need somewhere to bury the loop of pipe which will carry the fluid through the ground.
If you do not have a garden or the tradesmen installing the pipe would not be able to manoeuvre digging equipment into your garden, you will not be able to use a ground source heat pump and should seek advice about which other technologies are suitable for your home.
Having a big garden is an advantage, as it means there is plenty of room for the pipe to be laid flat at around two metres underground. However, if you have a smaller garden, it is possible for the loop to be installed vertically.
The type of heating system you plan to replace is also a key consideration. A good heating engineer will normally advise against replacing gas systems with a ground source heat pump. However, they are a good alternative to electric or coal heating systems.
You also need to think about the type of heating facilities you have in your home. Ground source heat pumps are most effective with underfloor heating, but also work well with large radiators.
A ground source heat pump is likely to be a good choice if you are building a new house, as it will be easy to install on a new site and rarely needs any maintenance.
What are the environmental benefits of using a ground source heat pump?
As a ground source heat pump uses some electricity, this form of geothermal heating is not an entirely renewable form of energy.
However, while the process involved in generating the electricity you use from the national grid will create some carbon emissions, the heat from the ground is a natural resource.
As a result, replacing an electric heating system with a ground source heat pump is likely to mean your total carbon emissions fall. If you also install underfloor heating, this will have further benefits.
How can Rated People help with your ground source heat pump installation?
As this is still quite rare technology in the UK, you will need to find a specialist heating engineer to install it.
Rated People’s service makes finding the right tradesmen for the job much less complicated. Simply register with the site and post details of the work you need undertaking free of charge, and Rated People will put you in touch with up to three local tradesmen interested in quoting for the job.
You can then use the quotes and the on-site ratings from the tradesmen’s previous customers to decide who to select for the job.
