In simple terms, a networked ground source heat pump system gives each home in a community its own heat pump while connecting those homes to shared underground infrastructure: a shared ground array. This combines individual control with the efficiency and scale benefits of a heat network.
The key difference between individual and networked ground source heat pumps is that, with the latter, homes access a shared ground array rather than each needing its own dedicated ground array or collector. This means dense estates and blocks of flats, including both high-rise and low-rise buildings, can make use of available space around buildings to offer residents or homeowners low-carbon, low-cost heating and cooling all year round. Networked ground source heat pumps are particularly well suited to these settings, with tens of thousands of homes already heated this way.
Some things don’t change. As with individual heat pumps, networked ground source heat pumps offer flexibility for homes. Households can choose their energy provider and tariff, something not always available in estates and blocks of flats.
While delivery programmes can vary, the typical approach involves the following steps:
It’s simple and has been designed to minimise long-term costs and maintenance complexity.
The shared ground array provides the thermal energy source for the ground source heat pumps situated in every home. When residents require heating and hot water, the ground source heat pump draws on the shared ground array carrying ambient fluid. In most cases there is no requirement for a central pump to deliver hot water through pipes into homes, which means there is no requirement for centralised metering and billing. That is a key differentiator of the system.
In short, residents only use the ground source heat pump to draw from the shared ground array when required. This can be scheduled according to their needs or optimised to run when electricity is cheapest. Flexibility sits with the resident, making the system cost-effective. Because the ground temperature is higher and more stable than the outside air during the coldest spells, the inlet temperature that the heat pump draws from is higher, enabling the heat pump to deliver the desired level of heating and hot water more efficiently than alternatives. This means networked ground source heat pumps are the lowest-cost option to run.
Practically, networked ground source heat pumps combine the unmatched efficiency of an individual home solution with economies of scale. Critically, residents receive the same low energy bills they would get from a Kensa ground source heat pump in an individual setting. They replicate the experience consumers are used to with gas boilers: a box in the home connected to an outside network, but with the ability to control it independently.
Aesthetically, the solution is smart too. With hidden infrastructure in the ground and a heat pump tucked away in an airing cupboard, it is space-efficient and entirely discreet, which is perfect for estates or developments that need to preserve space or the look and feel of their area. Networked ground source heat pumps are a competitive option for communities of about 10 homes or more, and deliver the biggest savings when applied at greater scale.
Networked ground source heat pumps are more efficient and less visible than air source heat pumps. Because they use the stable thermal energy in the ground, they require less electricity to run and have no external unit visible outside the home.
Central plant or individual air source heat pumps use large external units that cover buildings, can require planning permission and make a lot of noise, while networked ground source heat pumps are totally discreet. The ground array is safely buried for generations, while units are tucked away indoors in a space as small as a kitchen cabinet.
Because they tap into the ground’s stable temperature, networked ground source heat pumps can also be used for prevention of overheating and comfort cooling too at a fraction of the cost and energy consumption of air conditioning. As a bonus, during cooling, the heat extracted from the building is fed into the ground instead of the atmosphere, as it is with traditional air conditioning. This increases the ground temperature, leading to a higher inlet temperature to draw on in winter and even more efficient heating.
Like a district heat network, networked ground source heat pumps achieve economies of scale by connecting tens, hundreds or thousands of homes to shared infrastructure.
Unlike a district heat network, networked ground source heat pumps don’t produce heat in a central location. Central plant rooms take up a lot of space, are unsightly and require heavy maintenance. They also continually circulate the heat they generate inside the building at higher temperatures. This leads to heat losses and overheating through the distribution pipework, particularly in risers and communal areas, which is wasteful and costly for occupiers.
With networked ground source heat pumps, households have control. Networked ground source heat pump systems only generate higher-grade heat when the ground source heat pump in the home needs it, making them far more efficient. Residents have their own heat pumps with simple controls that require little maintenance. Since they use safe, non-combustion technology, there is no mandatory servicing either. And if a heat pump does go down, it only affects a single residence rather than the whole community.
The other advantage of networked ground source heat pumps, as noted above, is that consumers have the freedom to sign up to different energy providers rather than split their bills. Individual heat pumps are connected to the electricity supply of each property. Each occupier then pays for their heating through their own electricity bill, via their chosen supplier and tariff.