Heatex Quality Insulation Limited - Gas Services, Insulation, Renewables.


Most people know that the temperature of the earth’s molten core is similar to that of the surface of the Sun. But many of us would be surprised to know how much of that heat is available to us, just a few feet down. Ground source heat pumps use a buried ground loop which absorbs the heat in the ground. This is then transferred into the house to provide space heating and, in some cases, to pre-heat domestic hot water. The heat is driven into the house using an electric pump, which is powered by mains electricity. This consumes far less energy than the amount produced by the system. The ground loop is a matrix of pipes, usually filled with a mixture of water and anti-freeze. We use various configurations, depending on whether we’re installing into a bore-hole or trench. The pump draws the heated liquid from the ground loop into the house. At this point you wouldn’t notice a great deal of warmth if you touched the pipes.
This is because what you feel is temperature, not the amount of heat. A match flame is hot, but it actually contains only a tiny amount of heat. The liquid is pumped into an evaporator. This absorbs the heat energy it contains. It’s now compressed. Compression increases heat – that’s why a bicycle pump gets warm when you inflate tyres – so the liquid is now hot enough to provide usable heat energy. This heat is used to provide warm air for your home. The hot liquid is pumped into a condenser, which behaves similarly to the fins on the back of your fridge. Here it gives up heat to provide you with domestic hot water.


For every unit of mains electricity used to pump the heat, 3-4 units of heat are produced, making it an exceptionally efficient way of heating a building.