heating systems for a warming world

Our geothermal installation from the ground up

Capturing the heat/energy

Horizontal captor

Captors are buried in the soil . They enable energy to be collected from the soil and transported to the generator (see below). The normal system, is based on a number of horizontal captor "loops". The total surface area of the captor required depends on the type of heat pump, transfer medium and of course how much heat your house will require depending on its size and current heat loss.

 

Vertical captor

A vertical thermal (between 45 and 100 m deep) is used to extract energy from the soil. This solution is used when insufficient space is available for a horizontal captor.

 

Capturing energy from an underground water source

A pumped water system from an underground water source (bore hole or well) can also allow us to collect energy. This solution is used when there is a neighbouring underground water source available. There are often rules which govern the installation of these open loop systems.

 

Turning the captured energy into usable heat

The generator or heat pump

The generator transforms the energy collected into useful heat that can be used throughout the building. The generator, or ground source heat pump works in exactly the same way as the equipment in a fridge or freezer, in reverse. In fact if you have ever seen the back of a fridge you will have noticed a lattice of pipe, connected to a compressor, but whereas a fridge loop ‘dumps’ the heat, a heat pump dumps the cold.

There are various models of generators,  synonymous with high performance and reliability.

 

Distributing the heat

Under floor heating / radiators

In a typical house, central heating is based on an underfloor heating system, and/or a "wet" radiator system. In terms of overall comfort, the underfloor system will give the best performance with excellent temperature control and gradient.

Radiators are also very practical, and are often ready fitted . In the case of houses with wooden floors, they are really the only option. Add-ons such as heated towel rails in bathrooms are also a useful option making radiators a still popular choice.

Both heat distribution system options can be compatible with a geothermal heating system. Calculations need to be made and sometimes it is necessary to increase the surface area of the distribution system as geothermal heating does not attain the very high temperatures of planet unfriendly fossil burning systems. Resizing radiators or adding additional ones where necessary is a viable solution .

Cost effective and planet friendly.