Ground source heat pumps are one of the most efficient and eco-friendly heating technologies available.

However, they their installation process can require a lot of work.

Read on to find out what this work is and how much it costs.

Overview of costs

Horizontal ground source heat pump systems

A 6-8 kW horizontal ground source heat pump system usually costs around £12,000 to £15,500 to install.

However, the size of a heat pump is an important factor in its cost.

A larger 12kW horizontal ground source heat pump system would cost around £24,000 to install.

Horizontal systems are always cheaper to install. Of course, these costs are all estimates and depend on your individual project!

Example cost

Starting at the smaller end of typical IMS Heat Pumps projects, we would usually install a 6kW heat pump.

The heat pump unit has an integrated hot water cylinder with a small horizontal ground loop; usually 250-300 metres in length. This type of system would cost around £12,000 to £15,000 to install.

As the system capacity increases, so do the costs. Larger systems also usually have larger water cylinders.

So, a 12kW ground source heat pump with a 750m ground loop and a 300 litre water cylinder would work out around £24,000 for installation.

Vertical ground source heat pump systems

These are more expensive due to vertical borehole drilling, so the equivalent 12kW system would cost around £36,000 to install.

Example: Vertical ground source heat pump

Let’s say we are installing a 12kW vertical ground source heat pump.

Drilling boreholes is an inherently expensive endeavour. Specialist contractors who use specialist equipment are needed.

This equipment needs to be brought onto site with clear access. This is often a challenge in itself and can add complexity to a project.

The cost of drilling boreholes varies, but is usually between £40 to £65 per metre depth.

You also have the costs of grouting the pipe and mobilising the plant equipment. A useful guideline is £4,000 to £6,500 per 100m borehole. (However, this varies and often doesn’t include mobilisation costs.)

Typically, each borehole will contribute approx. 4kW-5kW to the system. So, a 12kW system will likely need three boreholes.

With this in mind, let’s assume that borehole drilling costs £6,000 per borehole.

This adds up to £18,000 + possible ancillary costs for the drilling alone, which contributes to a £35,000+ installation overall.

Potential funding

The boiler upgrade scheme

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £6,000 towards the cost of installing a system. 

In Scotland, the Home Energy Scotland Loan offers fantastic financial help in the form of low, or no, interest loans and substantial cash-back incentives for installing with energy efficiency measures and heat pumps.

Barclays Greener Home Reward

Barclays’ Greener Home Reward provides up to £2,000 to Barclays UK residential mortgage customers who register for it and pay for a selected home energy efficiency-related improvement.

No additional lending is required to benefit from the scheme. All new and existing Barclays UK residential mortgage customers are eligible.

The installation must be completed by a TrustMark-registered business or tradesperson like IMS Heat Pumps.

IMS is here to help

At IMS, we are experienced in installing ground source heat pumps across a range of properties.

For more information, or a free quote, contact us now.