A typical ground source heating system can supply radiators and underfloor heating

A typical solar system with indirect solar cylinder

Ground Source Heating

In the decade ahead every one will face profound changes in our lifestyles with regard to our energy consumption and water management. Climate change will make us re-evaluate the way we heat our homes and keep ourselves clean.

Ground source heat pumps provide a new and clean way of heating a building in the UK. They make use of renewable energy that is stored in the ground, providing one of the most energy-efficient ways of heating our home. They are suitable for a wide variety of building types and are particularly appropriate for low environmental impact projects and can be implemented in most of the UK.

By using a borehole or shallow trench heat collecting pipes in a closed loop are used to extract the stored energy, which when collected, can be used to provide space heating and domestic hot water.

The only energy used by a Ground Source Heat Pump is electricity which is used to power the pumps. A Ground Source Heat Pump will deliver 3 or 4 times as much thermal energy (HEAT) as is used as electrical energy to drive the system, this method is commonly called the COP (Coefficient Operating Performance).

Ground Source Heat Pumps work best with heating systems that are optimized to run at a lower temperature that is commonly used in UK boiler and radiator systems. As such they make an ideal partner for Underfloor heating systems.

Ground Source Heat Pumps have been widely used in other parts of the world, including North America and Europe, for many years. Typically they cost more to install than conventional systems, however they have very low maintenance costs and can be expected to provide reliable and environmentally heating for in excess of 20 years.

GSHP have a number of other environmental and operational advantages:

Reduced purchased energy consumption resulting in low CO2 emissions
High reliability (fewer moving parts, no exposure to weather)
Long life expectancy (typically 20 / 25 years and up to 50 years for the ground coil)
Low noise
Low maintenance costs (No regular maintenance contracts)
No boiler or fuel tank, resulting in no combustion or explosive gases in the household
No flue or ventilation requirements, no pollution to local environment

Solar Energy

Solar energy can be captured by Solar panels. There are two types of solar panel which use completely different technologies to make use of the energy from the sun:

Solar Water Heating collectors: These panels absorb energy from the sun and transfer it to heat water
Photovoltaic or Solar Electric panels: These panels transform the solar radiation directly into electricity

For maximum efficiency, Solar Panels should be mounted on a south facing roof with an angle of inclination a minimum of 30 degrees and away from any shadows from trees, surrounding buildings or chimneys.

Solar Power water heating systems are the most popular form of solar energy used in the UK. This system is connected to the hot water system via a twin coiled cylinder. These installations can provide over half of household's annual hot water requirements over a year. There are two types of solar water collectors, Flat panels and evacuated tubes.

Solar water heating panels in their simplest form are made from a sheet of metal painted black which absorbs the energy from the sun. Water is fed through a series of tubes attached to the inside of the panels that picks up the heat in the metal. The pipes are often made of copper for a better conduction. The pipe contains a non-toxic fluid called Glycol (A mixture of water and anti-freeze). The metal sheet is embedded in a box covered with a reflective glass.

A typical installation in the UK consists of 2 panels; each panel has an absorbent range of 4m², with an average sized storage tank of 250 litres. However the optimum size will depend on the household use.

QUALITY • EFFICIENCY • RELIABILTY