Eco House:  Water Source Heat Pump, Forest Row

• Open loop borehole from aquifer and back into aquifer
• 1 x 13.5KW Stiebel-Eltron ground source heat pump
• 1 x plate heat exchanger
• 1 x 300l cylinder
• 1 x 200l heating buffer
• Under floor heating throughout

This project was a fabulous new build with a large basement plant room- a joy for installers who are normally squeezing into existing airing cupboards!

The customer was putting a borehole into the aquifer to supply water for the house and gardens.

We took advantage of this and suggested  installing a 13KW Stiebel Eltron WPC heat pump using the water as its heat source.

The heating and hot water for the property is now provided using the water in the aquifer over 100m below the house. The advantage is that the water is a constant temperature throughout the year, even in the depths of winter, making it even more efficient than a ground source heat pump.

The water from the aquifer is drawn up into the plant room before passing through a large plate heat exchanger with the heat pump on the other side. This protects the heat pump from minerals in the water that may "fur up" the heat pump if running through it directly. The water is then fed through to a large tank for use in the garden and grounds and is finally returned to the aquifer via another borehole at the bottom of the hill.

Combined with a large solar PV array, underfloor heating throughout, a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system (MVHR) and a grey-water recovery system, the house is almost off-grid.