Energy Efficient House Heating.

An energy efficient form of house heating, which is particularly suitable for new build houses, is the ground source heat pump system.

Although the initial expense of fitting a ground source heating system is high compared to the normal gas or oil fired hot water systems, the running costs are lower and, since the heated air is taken from the ground under your garden, you are immune from future increases in home heating fuel bills.

A geoexchange heat system is a heating and cooling system for both domestic houses and commercial property. In a normal central heating system, oil or gas is burnt in a boiler to heat water which is then pumped through radiators in your house and heats the air in each room in your house.

In the ground source system, the heat pump circulates a refrigerant which collects the heat trapped in the ground around your house and delivers it into your house. During the winter, the soil under your garden is at a higher temperature than the air above it and the ground source heat pump system uses this situation to move heat around to the place it is wanted, in exactly the same way as the fridge in your kitchen operates, but on a larger scale.

Modern houses with good levels of insulation are better able to take advantage of the warm air provided by the ground source heat pump.

New build houses, designed around the system from the start, can benefit the most from its energy efficiency. The loops that carry the refrigerant fluid can be buried in the garden of the house at the same time as the foundations are being prepared.

The energy efficiency of the system is reflected in the fact that for each kilowatt of electricity needed to operate the heat pump, around 3.5 kilowatts of heat can be delivered to the house.

This article is only intended as a basic general summary and you should always seek professional advice where necessary.





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