Q & A

Frequently asked questions

 Will the heat pump heat the building on a cold winters day?  

The basis for a heat pump installation should be a proper heat loss calculation of the property. This calculation takes the conditions on a cold day into account. With a proper design for the heating system, the heat pump should be always able to heat your property.

 
Does the heat pump provide enough domestic hot water for my requirements?

Geothermal heat pumps provide temperatures up to 62°C. It is possible to boost these temperatures up to 75°C for legionella protection using the integrated auxillary back up heater.

 
Does the heat pump always require underfloor heating or can I use a radiator system? 

Heat pumps do not necessarily require an underfloor heating system and can be used with radiators The required flow temperature for the heating system is an important requirement as as the heat pump is more efficient when operated at lower temperatures.

Most UK radiators are designed and sized for higher temperatures than a heat pump works at. Therefore, it maybe necessary to replace your existing radiators with physically larger versions. A buffer store will also be required with a radiator system to ensure the most efficient operation of the heat pump.

 
Is cooling possible with the heat pump? 

When combined with a correctly designed underfloor heating system the geoTHERM exclusive heat pump is able to provide passive cooling and can reduce the temperature in the house by 3 to 4 degrees. For all other versions of geoTHERM heat pump an optional external passive cooling accessory is available.

 
Can I use my existing domestic electrical supply?

Yes although For larger properties a 415 volts, three-phase electrical supply will be required.

 
I want to install a heat pump but my garden is quite small. Will this matter?

The size of available garden area is not a limitation for a heat pump installation. Vertical ground loop collectors don’t require much space. The main constraint is access for the drilling rig which has to be considered at the design stage.

 
 I have an existing property and I want to fit a heat pump. Will this be a problem?

Heat pumps are designed to work in both new build and existing properties. It is essential that the heat loss requirements of your property are known so that the system can be designed to suit your property. Before a heat pump is considered it is important to ensure that the basic energy saving measures are in place such as draught proofing and loft insulation. The Energy Savings Trust provide information on ways to reduce you energy usage and can also provide information on Government grants that may be available.

 
Are ground source heat pumps really environmentally friendly?

A ground source heat pump is an electrical appliance, using electricity to operate the compressor and pumps. For every 1kW of electricity used to operate the heat pump, up to 4.5kW of electricity can be provided to the house for heating and hot water. A heat pump will reduce the CO2 emissions from a domestic property by up to 35 to 40%.

A growing proportion of the UK’s electricity supply is being produced by renewable energy. Each of the major utility companies offer a green energy tariff for electricity produced in an environmentally friendly way, although this is sometimes slightly more expensive that other tariffs.