The power of water

As an island nation surrounded by sea and criss-crossed by rivers, canals, and lakes the UK is ideally placed to take advantage of the power of water.

And with water source heat pumps eligible for government grants and being the most energy efficient form of heat pump to install, the time has never been better to take the plunge.

Most people are aware that the force of water can be used in hydro-electric power stations to turn turbines and produce electricity on a large scale.

What is less well known is that still or flowing water can also be used to provide energy for individual homes through a heat pump using the same science as ground source and air heat pumps.

During the Second World War water source heat pumps used Lake Lucerne to provide power to municipal buildings and 80 years ago the technology was used in Norwich to heat the then new city hall.

Instead of effectively transferring the heat in the air or the ground to the home, water source heat pumps take advantage of the relatively consistent temperatures of rivers, lakes, and large ponds by extracting heat from them and converting into useful energy to heat your home.

Previously this relied on a series of submerged pipes lying on the waterbed containing a working fluid to absorb the heat. This working fluid was then compressed, and the resultant heat transferred to the home via radiators or underfloor heating.

Now though a technological breakthrough has done away with the need for this pipe network, replacing it instead with a compact heat exchanger, such as ThermoGenius, that lies just below the surface of the water.

This makes both the cost and time it takes to install less than that of ground or air source pumps whilst still eligible for the £6,000 UK Government grant.

In addition, for every 1kW of energy required to run a water source heat pump, 4-5kW of equivalent heat energy is produced making this option more efficient than both air and ground source heat pumps.

There is virtually no visual impact on a property and running costs are less than other forms of heat pump.

So, if you do have access to a body of water near your home this might be your best green energy option.

For further information about the water source heat pump options we offer click here.