Ground Source heat pump in District

I've been asked a couple if times about these pumps - basically Ground Source heat pumps are a tried and tested Scandinavian technology, but not yet in widespread use in the UK. They work by extracting heat from the ground, via a borehole, and using this to heat the property. This reduces running costs and CO2 emissions.

Photo: Ruscombe village

A Housing association in Cornwall has retro fitted them to a handful of dwellings. Stroud District Council are part of an energy forum of local social housing landlords, and none of them have yet installed heat pumps in their social housing. The problem with energy saving measures in rented homes is that they are high capital cost to the landlord but they do not see payback as the tenants gain the benefits of reduced running costs.

Grant funding has now been available from Powergen for a minimum of six adjacent properties. This means that the cost to SDC of installing a heat pump becomes comparable to that of installing oil fired central heating, and hence affordable to SDC. They have picked properties in Coaley as they are away from the gas main (SDCs first choice heating fuel); some have solid fuel heating that was approaching the end of its life, and some night storage heating.

SDC have 7 properties on the scheme. Each will have a new central heating system, served by the heat pump, which will also provide hot water. Their homes will also have an insulation upgrade, which will include checking cavity wall insulation, improving loft insulation, replacing ill fitting external doors and checking windows for draught proofing. Part of the project will be to review the running costs and performance over the course of a year to see what might be possible elsewhere.