Ground Source Heat Pump Grants.
How does it work?
Ground source heat pumps work on the same principle as refridgerators, but in reverse. Refridgerators extract heat energy from inside the unit and expel it to the outside air. Ground source heat pumps extract heat energy from external ground or water and expel it into a building. It's a simple, well understood process that has been in effective use for many years.
Ground source heat pumps do not 'create' heat, as would a gas flame or electric fire element. Instead, by simply compressing a refridgerant gas which has extracted heat energy already present in the surroundings, heat pumps are ultra-efficient. They 'produce' far more heat energy than they take from the electricity grid. The term used to descibe this efficiency is the 'Coefficient of Performance' or COP. The COP can be as much as 5. However the figure varies between around 3 - 4 in most appliances, or 3-4kW out for an input of 1kW.
All matter, whether it be solid, liquid or gaseous, contains ambient energy, even below what we know as 'freezing' temperature, or 0°C. In fact, there is heat energy in matter all the way down to 'Absolute Zero', or −273.15°.
However, we don't come anywhere near that low temperature anywhere on the planet, except in the lab. Under-ground temperatures, where pipes are laid, are generally higher than air temperatures during the winter months. This means there is useful energy available, all year round, which can be extracted by ground source - and indeed ground source - heat pumps. You can measure this in operation anytime, by opening your refridgerator or freezer and comparing the temperatures of the icebox and the 'element' at the rear.
What will it cost?
If you structure your payments efficiently, then it may cost you very little, or nothing. Please read on.
A typical domestic system would use between 25% - 35% of the electricity which a standard electrical heating system would use for the same amount of heating, thereby reducing utility bills. It will cost around £6,000 to £11,500 to install depending on the size of the property.
If you pay for your installation by re-mortgaging by a typical £6,000 extra, this might add say £300 a year to your mortgage repayments, with interest rates at 5%. If your average annual energy bill is £1,000, 50% of it, or £500, is generally being used on space heating. In this example then, the system is actually more than paying for itself straight away. As energy prices rise, as they typically do, your expenditure will be proportionately lower than it would have been otherwise.
It will also save on the amount of carbon you put into the atmosphere and in addition, add to the resale value of your home. You and the planet stand to gain from this investment.
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