Ground Source Heat Pumps

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS)

Ground Source Heat Pumps – Up To £6,000 Grant Available. Ground Source heat pumps (GSHPs) use pipes that are buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground. This heat can then be used to heat radiators, underfloor, or warm air heating systems and hot water in your home

A Ground Source Heat Pump circulates a mixture of water and antifreeze around a loop of pipe, called a ground loop, which is buried in your garden. Heat from the ground is absorbed into the fluid and then passes through a heat exchanger into the heat pump. The ground stays at a fairly constant temperature under the surface, so the heat pump can be used throughout the year.

With the Government grants that are available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme the install costs can be partially recouped for qualifying customers. Grants are available in England and Wales subject to approval.

Grants are only available for a new installation, a Grant cannot be applied retrospectively for existing equipment.

How do they work?

Heat from the ground is absorbed at low temperatures into a fluid inside a loop of pipe (a ground loop) buried underground. The fluid then passes through a compressor that raises it to a higher temperature, which can then heat water for the heating and hot water circuits of the house. The cooled ground-loop fluid passes back into the ground where it absorbs further energy from the ground in a continuous process as long as heating is required.

Normally the loop is laid flat or coiled in trenches about two metres deep, but if there is not enough space in your garden you can install a vertical loop down into the ground to a depth of up to 100 metres for a typical domestic home.

Where do they work best?

Due to the cost of ground source they usually work best on larger houses however you do not need a big garden but ideally one that has access for digging machinery. It is essential that your home is well insulated and draught-proofed for the heating system to be effective.

Boiler Upgrade Schemes (BUS)

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a payment system, in England and Wales, to financially encourage homeowners (and small business premises), to switch from their reliance upon fossil fuel systems for heating, to the generation of heat from low carbon generating systems.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme operates by providing a grant of £6,000.00 in the form of a voucher, this voucher is applied directly to your bill for installation therefore reducing your real cost in real terms.