Harnessing energy from water in the ground for heating and cooling
This Code of Practice has been produced as a joint project between the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA) with the backing of the Heat Pump Association (HPA). The work has been supported by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Groundwater source heat pumps (GWSHPs) have huge potential and are an underused technology in the UK. Harnessing renewable energy from aquifers and mine water represents a huge opportunity to provide low carbon heating and/or cooling to buildings. However, if GWSHPs are to form a significant part of our future low carbon energy infrastructure they need to be designed, built, operated and maintained to a high quality to deliver customer satisfaction. This Code of Practice has been produced to help achieve these aims by raising standards right across the supply chain and to encourage adoption of the technology.
Setting minimum requirements (and recommending best practice) should provide greater confidence for specifiers and developers. This Code of Practice can also be included in the tendering/contracting process to specify minimum requirements for a project. The adoption of this Code of Practice by developers could ultimately be used to provide assurance to customers and property purchasers that their GWSHP scheme has followed a set of design, installation and commissioning standards. This Code of Practice should therefore have a significant effect on the GWSHP market by boosting confidence in the technology.
The Code of Practice can also be included in the tendering/contracting process to specify minimum requirements for a project. The adoption of this Code by developers could ultimately be used to provide assurance to customers and property purchasers that their GWSHP scheme has followed a set of design, installation and commissioning standards. It is anticipated that the Code should therefore have a significant effect on the GWSHP market by boosting confidence in the technology.
Linked titles
CIBSE has so far published two other Codes of Practice in this area:
CP1: Heat Networks: Code of Practice for the UK (here) and supported by 'A Guide for Building Owners and Developers' (here)
CP2: Surface Water Source Heat Pumps: Code of Practice for the UK (here).
Referees
Robin Curtis (GeoScience Ltd.); James Dickinson (Buro Happold); Roger Macklin (Hoare Lea LLP)
Consultation
This Code of Practice was made available for public consultation between 22 January and 21 February 2018.