Statistically, throughout the UK, heating and cooling domestic and commercial buildings has become a major drain on our finances. Reports indicate that almost 50% of UK carbon emissions are produced from the energy we use to heat our buildings. That's a considerable impact. And the rise in gas and energy prices is also doing all it can to increase this feeling of a rather disastrous energy climate; and considering the EU 2020 pressures of reducing CO2 emissions, traditional gas and electricity tariffs are only set to get more and more expensive.
So what can we do? Well, what we must do is simple: we must look at the alternatives. Renewable energy is an option; Microgrids are an option; there are even cases to adopt the infrastructure of Nuclear Power. But these decisions beyond voting day are seemingly out of our hands. All we can do follows on from what we must: we must look at the alternatives so we can choose the most viable alternative for us.
Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) have proved considerably successful in international fields - hot climate countries such as Spain and parts of the US are leading advocates for GSHP capabilities - but now in the UK it is the industrial sector that has sought after the inherent benefits of installing this emission and energy cost mitigator. Some of the most effective GSHP models, for instance, can reduce a building's heating and cooling running costs by up to nearly 70% as well as cutting CO2 emissions by nearly 50%. So who can blame them really?
A good example of GSHP installation is the system installed at Mansfield Hospital in Nottinghamshire (named the 'Lake Loopa' system, and the largest of its kind in Europe). This system is predicted to reduce energy consumption generated from just heating and cooling the premises by 9,600MW a year - when compared to a gas or oil fired system - and reduce carbon emissions by 1,700 tonnes. In terms of energy emissions, this is the equivalent of taken 600 cars off the road! And in monetary terms, this equates to an annual saving of £120,000. However, the adoption of GSHP systems in Britain still remains relatively low. This is partly due to high installation costs and partly due to GSHP's friendly competitive cousins, solar power and wind turbines.
But all this is due to change. Thanks to a microgenerational certification scheme, the advancements and improved technology behind GSHP systems are producing more effective models for Britons across the country; which is why organisations such as the Carbon Trust are providing Grant Funding, as well as zero interest loans that will offset the payback period.
The commercial sector has certainly turned its eye towards geothermal systems, and GSHPs taking centre stage. Something of which will be politically apparent when the government releases its Renewable Energy Strategy in view of EU requisites. And to be honest, the UK is a little behind the times in doing so. Countries throughout Europe have already been keen to snap up the benefits of GSHPs: Sweden, for instance, is home to the largest GSHP market in the EU; and architects working in Switzerland consider GSHPs to be somewhat of a mass market - fitting most new-build properties with integrated systems.
There are certainly savings to be had. But, however, it is important to note that until GSHPs receive the commercial backing they deserve they may not be economically viable for most properties. Nevertheless, we suggest that you take a sneaky look just to double-check - you might find a match made in heaven.
Posted under Gas & Electricity
This post was written by Ryan Whatley on June 29, 2010
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