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Barratt Homes give backing to Ground Source Heat Pumps
10th December 2007
Separating renewable myth from renewable reality
One of the UK’s largest housebuilders Barratt Homes has concluded that ground source heat pumps are one of the most effective energy saving devices available.
Barratt's Eco Village in Lancashire
This is the outcome of the first detailed working trials by the University of Manchester as it analysed the effectiveness of a range of energy saving devices in the next generation of eco-friendly homes.
Last year Barratt built a group of uninhabited homes in Chorley, Lancashire with the intention of testing technologies such as wind turbines, ground source heat pumps and solar panels for creating electricity, space heating and hot water.
Mark Clare, group chief executive of Barratt, said: "The eco-village has been an invaluable test bed, which has helped separate renewable myth from renewable reality. The challenge now is to drive down costs to ensure that they have the widest possible take-up."
Heat pumps “worked very well”
The initial trials which took place over 15 months stated that ground source heat pumps were found to have “worked very well”. Extracting the earth’s natural heat from a 30-metre hole reduced carbon dioxide emissions in typical homes by 62 per cent each year.
Tony Sung, a lecturer in civil engineering at the University of Manchester who oversaw the trials, said: “At 30 metres, the earth emits a constant temperature of 10 degrees to 12 degrees centigrade. It is effectively both a landfill for energy from the sun and emanating heat from magma (molten rock) deep down.”
The research stated that ground source heat pump bore holes and solar panels would take, respectively, 15 years and 37˝ years to pay for themselves, based on today's electricity prices.
Small capital cost attractive to Housing Industry
Nonetheless, for a relatively small capital cost, the savings these devices make to the environment and the added value they put on the price of a new home are likely to make them attractive to the housing industry.
Housebuilders under pressure to meet targets
Housebuilders are under pressure to meet a government deadline to make all new homes carbon-neutral by 2016. They also face increased pressure to prove their green credentials in competitive bids for government-owned land, where tracts of land for thousands of homes at a time can come up for auction.
The findings of this research will also be of interest to the growing numbers of eco-conscious homeowners, epitomised by David Cameron, the Tory leader who hit the headlines with his installation of wind turbines and other energy-saving devices in his Notting Hill home.
Purchases of carbon-neutral homes will attract zero levels of stamp duty under new government proposals.
Find out further information on Ground Source Heat Pumps.
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