Our experts answer the most commonly asked questions

A ground source heat pump, sometimes referred to as a ground-to-water heat pump, transfers heat from the ground outside your home or business to heat your underfloor heating or radiators. It can also heat water stored in a hot water cylinder for your hot taps and showers.

Almost anyone, provided that they are in the right geology can have a GSHP borehole.

Yes, provided the geological conditions permit the drilling of boreholes. We have completed boreholes in basements and also installed them under buildings prior to construction.

It is perfectly possible to have a GSHP borehole system at an older property and the system can be linked to radiators as well as underfloor heating.

The savings vary depending on the existing heat source. A GSHP system is low maintenance and can add value to your property. A GSHP can also reduce your carbon footprint. As part of any proposal we can estimate the reduction in your carbon footprint.

At the surface you normally wouldn't see anything as the top of the borehole is buried.

It will depend on the size of the property, for a 3 bed dwelling you will require approximately 3m x 1m of floor space.

This depends on how much heat loss there is from your building, what kilowatt your system is and the geology below the site. The bigger the property, the more boreholes you are likely to need.

This can depend on design, however, boreholes usually need to be over 10 metres apart in order to maximise the efficiency of the heat pump system.

Our purpose-built geothermal rigs can fit through 5ft gaps and work in an area of approximately 5 parking spaces per borehole.

We use rotary drilling rigs and drill using compressed air or mud flush with drilling fluids.

Not usually. However, each site should be assessed individually. There are sometimes drilling restrictions from the Environment Agency, local planning departments and London Underground. We can check this for you and complete any necessary paperwork.

Probes are used to extract heat from the geology and transfer it into the system.

We use Probes manufactured from PE100 virgin grade High Performance Polyethylene Pipes (HPPE) with a Probe tip factory fitted and welded in accordance with SKZ HR3.26 test regulations. Each probe is metre marked to ensure the correct depths are achieved.

The average depth of borehole probes is 100 metres but depending on the nature of the site they can go as deep as 200 metres. It is essential that the correct number of probes are installed.

The geology is assessed at each site and the most appropriate grouting used. This ensures that maximum efficiency is achieved from your borehole. Thermally enhanced grout can be up to 3 times more conductive than cheaper grouts in certain geologies.

No, these systems need to be kept separate. However, they may be able to be installed on the same site. In larger projects an open loop system may be used for the heat source which uses the ground water and re-injects it back into the geology. An abstraction licence would be required from the Environment Agency if over 20,000 litres is used per 24 hour period.

For your complete peace of mind, Nicholls Boreholes and Ground Source offer an ongoing Service and Maintenance Agreement for your GSHP. This would usually occur annually.

Yes, for a domestic GSHP borehole, but not for commercial usage. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides £6,000 for installing a GSHP provided certain criteria are met. Email or call us now on 01403 820750 Option 2 for more information.