GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS – GENERATING YOUR OWN POWER

There are lots of options to help you generate your own energy- cutting your carbon and your costs.

There are seven main options: wind turbines, solar water heating and solar electricity, ground source and air source heat pumps, wood fuelled heating and hydro power.

We’re taking a look at Ground Source Heat Pumps  in more detail.

GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS use pipes buried in the garden to extract heat from the ground. This is usually used to warm water for radiators or under-floor heating systems. It can also be used to pre-heat water before it goes into a conventional boiler.

Beneath the surface, the ground stays at a constant temperature, so a ground source heat pump can be used throughout the year – even in the middle of winter.

A ground source heat pump circulates a mixture of water and antifreeze around a loop of pipe – called a ground loop – which is buried in the garden. When the liquid travels around the loop it absorbs heat from the ground.

And these are the benefits of ground source heat pumps;
• Reduce your CO2 emissions: on average a ground source heat pump could save around 540kg of carbon dioxide every year when replacing an oil boiler.
• Eliminate your fuel bills: ground source heat pumps run on electricity, so there’s no need to pay for gas, oil or solid fuels to heat your home.
• Cut down on wasted electricity: heating your home with a ground source heat pump is much more efficient than using electric radiators.Various grants of up to £2500 are also available to encourage home owners to generate their own power.

If generating your own power is something you’d like to explore further then The Energy Saving Trust website (http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/) has a simple questionnaire to help you narrow down your options.

And you can hear more about renewables on PASSION for the PLANET http://www.passionfortheplanet.com

About the Author: Chantal Cooke is passionate about the planet and is also a London Leader in Sustainability.