Ground Source Heat Pumps in the UK: Types, Efficiency & Prices

Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs), also known as geothermal heat pumps, are low-carbon heating and cooling systems that transfer the heat from the ground outside your home to heat your radiators or underfloor heating and provide hot water for your taps and showers. They can also reverse this process to provide cooling during the summer months.

One of the most remarkable features of GSHPs is their impressive efficiency rating of up to 400%. This means that for every unit of energy they consume, they produce 4 times more heat, resulting in significant cost savings for homeowners. When replacing an old gas boiler with a ground source heat pump, you can expect to save up to £550 annually.

Despite their high upfront costs, which range from £16,200 to £49,000, GSHPs can still be a viable option for homeowners seeking a long-term, sustainable, and highly efficient low-carbon heating solution. These initial costs can be offset by the savings generated from their exceptional efficiency and eligibility for grants such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers up to £7,500.

Has this left you with more questions than answers? Don’t worry, throughout this article, we’ll guide you through everything there is to know about GSHPs; what they are, how they work, costs, types, efficiency, and their advantages and disadvantages so you can find out if they are the right choice for you.

For further reassurance, it is essential to seek guidance from industry professionals. Luckily, we offer a free service that allows you to compare quotes from up to 4 local installers, enabling you to explore solutions at your own pace. Click below to fill out our 30-second form and take the first step towards a more efficient and eco-friendly heating solution for your home today.

So, what is a ground source heat pump? In a nutshell, these heat pump systems are highly efficient and eco-friendly heating solutions that leverage the earth's natural warmth to provide heat for your home.

Unlike traditional heating systems that rely on burning fossil fuels, GSHPs use buried pipework to extract warmth from the ground, making them an excellent low-carbon heating alternative. 

The fact that they can extract the earth’s warmth to heat up and cool down your home on demand might have left you wondering: How does a ground source heat pump work? 

Ground source heat pumps can do this by operating similarly to refrigerators, but with a key difference - while a fridge removes heat from the inside and releases it outside, a GSHP extracts heat from the ground and distributes it inside your home. It can also provide cooling by reversing this process on demand.

This is possible by using a network of pipes buried underground or submerged in a water source, filled with a fluid that absorbs or rejects heat. The captured heat is warmed up further by the GSHP and then distributed to your home's central heating system for use in radiators, underfloor heating, taps, and showers, ensuring consistent and efficient heating.

To put it bluntly, the costs associated with GSHPs are quite high, typically ranging from £16,200 to £49,000 including heat pump installation.

However, on the other side of the spectrum, their superb efficiency rating, eligibility for grants, savings, and consistency throughout the year regardless of temperature fluctuations, make them a well-worth considering improvement for your home.

For a greater understanding of ground source heat pump costs, we’ve put together a summary detailing their typical costs according to their size and type of groundwork:

As you can see, GSHPs are quite the investment, even though they promise long-term savings. Fortunately, there are multiple heat pump grants available you can apply for. For more information on heat pump grants, visit our specialised article on heat pump grants.

Additionally, it is worth noting that the figures shown above are just estimates, and for further insight, it’s highly recommended to consult with a professional ground source heat pump installer. We can help you with this.

By simply clicking the button below, we can save you hours of your time by directly connecting you with up to 4 of our professional network of suppliers for free and without any obligation.

An additional consideration is which type of ground source heat pump best fits your needs. Ground source heat pumps can be categorised based on the type of loop system they utilise. There are two main types of loop systems:

To provide a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of ground source heat pumps, we've summarised their pros and cons in the following list:

The 400% efficiency rating, also shown as a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 4, indicates that ground source heat pumps can provide 4 times more energy output than the electrical energy input required for the system to operate. 

This outstanding efficiency is what makes ground source heat pumps such an attractive and energy-saving heating and cooling solution for homes and explains the UK government's eagerness to promote GSHPs through initiatives like the ECO4 or the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

The high efficiency of ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) is due to the fact they do not generate heat directly, but rather transfer heat from the ground into the home using electricity. This heat transfer process is much more efficient than traditional heating methods, such as boilers that generate heat through combustion.

In summary, ground source heat pumps are excellent low-carbon solutions that can effortlessly switch from heating to cooling your home on demand depending on your needs without the need to directly burn fossil fuels, leveraging the ground’s constant temperature throughout the year.

They can do this by being significantly more efficient than traditional heating systems, such as electric heaters, gas boilers, and even air source heat pumps.

Despite air source heat pump prices being lower, GSHPs are well worth considering, since ASHPs are susceptible to low temperatures, with their efficiency dropping as temperatures fall below 0 degrees. Conversely, GSHPs silently transfer heat from the ground, using the inexhaustible ground heat for consistent heating and cooling year-round.

While GSHPs are a significant investment, the UK government offers several generous grants to help offset the high upfront costs. Nevertheless, despite the government's efforts to promote the adoption of heat pumps through these initiatives, over £60 million of the £150 million annual budget for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme remains unspent, suggesting that more can be done to encourage the uptake of GSHPs and other renewable heating solutions to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.

To stop this from happening and ensure you don’t miss out on the generous grants available to homeowners, we highly recommend getting in touch with a professional who will ensure you’re getting the best deal for your new ground source heat pump in the UK.

Instead of spending hours doing endless research looking for local professionals by yourself, we can offer you a great shortcut. Receive up to 4 non-binding and completely free quotes from our network of vetted installers. Click the button below to begin. It takes less than 1 minute!