Water source heat pumps (WSHPs) offer a versatile, highly efficient alternative to fossil fuels, taking heat energy from a variety of water sources, such as the sea, lakes, large ponds or boreholes, to provide you with a reliable energy source for heating and hot water. They can also be used for cooling too.
A water source heat pump extracts heat from the sea, rivers and lakes, or underground water via a borehole. The water is pumped into the heat pump, where the heat is used to evaporate a refrigerant in most systems, known as Closed Loop Systems. This evaporation process absorbs heat from the water, causing the refrigerant to change from a liquid to a vapour. The refrigerant is then compressed by the compressor, which further increases its temperature. The heated refrigerant vapour then transfers its heat to the distribution system. In Open Loop Systems, the water from the source is directly used in the heat pump. These systems can provide heating and hot water to both new and retrofit premises.
Whilst the concept is relatively straight forward, the design, installation, operation and maintenance of them is an extremely specialist area. We can work with you from the concept design and energy modelling stage through to the long-term asset management. As the size, connections and intricacies of these systems vary, water source heat pump costs can range from several thousand, to multi-million pound installations, but we will find the best option for your organisation.
