So What is Geothermal

How can Geothermal heat my home?

Geothermal Energy simply means heat from the Earth.  The name "geothermal" comes from two Greek words: "geo" means "Earth" and "thermal" means "heat".  It's clean and sustainable and has been used throughout America and Europe for many years . Unlike solar and wind energy, the supply of geothermal energy is constant and doesn't vary with the time of day or change with the weather, as the ground stays at a fairly constant temperature throughout the year.

The diagram [left] shows the temperature flux beneath the ground over a 12 month period. You can see there is less variation the deeper the measurement.

You can harness this heat using bore holes to insert pipe called a ground loop containing a brine mix,, the heat is absorbed into this fluid, through a manifold and then processed through a heat pump to heat radiators, under floor heating systems and hot water.  The fluid then passes back into the ground where it absorbs further heat in a continuous process.

Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP). are based on conventional refrigeration technology, converting a high volume of low grade heat from the environment to a low volume of higher grade heat much the same way as your fridge but in reverse. Replacing your traditional boiler, this system connects to your existing central heating to provide you with continual renewable heat and hot water at significantly reduced cost. There are also systems which can be used to cool your property in summer.

Traditionally installation methods have been limited to Vertical drilling or Horizontal loops.

Now there is a third option, Geothermal Radial Drilling (GRD) is a compact, slanted bore method where one central drill chamber is used to install heat pipes radially in all directions and angles of inclination, even under existing buildings. This method maximises the efficiency from the geology of the ground and allows installation in more challenging situations and restricted sites than has previously been possible. The disruption is minimal and can be installed in only a few days proving more efficient and cost effective than traditional methods.

Radial Drilling allows heat to be collected from both deep within the ground (geothermal) and the heat near the surface (Solar).

Your technical Consultant will use the information on your geological survey to ensure the angles used for the boreholes will maximise the heat extraction from your land. We also use thermal grouting and coaxial piping which further reduces environmental impact, and increases extraction efficiency. Using the grouting and this method also allows us to drill using approx 30% less in lengh, helping to balance cost.

This is an image of the heat impact from the Radial Drilling Method. As you can see the impact on the ground is minimal, thus allowing the heat collected to be maximised.

Although the heat from the ground is natural, and self-generating, it is essential that this system is installed by a fully qualified engineer to protect your ground and maximise the efficiency of the system. All our equipment, installers and technical consultants are Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registered which also protects your eligibility for available grant schemes.