08.01.10 Underground pumps would help meet renewable heat targets
By 2020 thousands of homes and offices could be using ground source heat pumps (GSHP), which produce renewable energy by pumping liquid underground to be heated. A report by the Environment Agency proposes that the technology is capable of generating 30% of the UK’s renewable heat requirements.
Currently, the UK has just 8,000 pumps installed, but they are becoming increasingly popular. In just a year the number of GSHP in the UK has doubled.
The Environment Agency asserts that by 2020 the pumps could be installed in 320,000 buildings. Ideally up to 40% of corporate buildings and one in ten homes could be using them.
Given its scope, the project would be costly. The pumps are also expensive to install. It has therefore been suggested that financial backing from the Government comes under the Renewable Heat Incentive in 2012. The scheme offers support to those who use renewable heat that they have generated themselves. Theoretically, homeowners and businesses could be paid for using the pumps.
A representative of the Environment Agency said: "The initial capital costs are more than for a normal boiler, but the GSHP would be cheaper to run."
The technology produces hot water for taps, baths and showers. It also warms water for radiators and underfloor heating systems. Electricity is needed to power the pump, but the process produces three to four times more energy than it uses.
If a homeowner replaces an oil-fired heating system with a GSHP, The Energy Saving Trust maintains that they could make an annual saving of 540kg of CO2 and £160. Also, because the pumps run on electricity, oil, gas and solid fuels are no longer needed to produce heat.
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