Components of a Ground Source Heat Pump System
There are 3 main components to a Ground Source Heat Pump system:
Ground loop - these are lengths of pipe buried in the ground, either in a trench or a borehole. The pipe is filled with water and anti-freeze, which is pumped around the pipe to absorb the heat from the ground
Heat pump - these are similar to the devices found in your fridge, made up of:
Evaporator - transfers the heat from the ground loop
Compressor - moves the refrigerant round the heat pump and compresses the gaseous refrigerant to the temperature needed for the heat distribution circuit
Condensor - transfers heat to the hot water tank that feeds your radiators or under floor heating
Heat distribution system - another name for your radiators or under floor heating, plus hot water storage
Different types of system
There are different options for the ground loop (the pipe buried in the ground), allowing you to choose the most suitable for your property:
- Borehole
- Straight horizontal
- Spiral horizontal (‘slinky')
Horizontal trenches tend to cost less than boreholes, but you need more land area
