Ground Source Heat Pump FAQ

No planning permission is needed.

The UK receives plenty of the suns radiation that generates heat in the ground that the unit needs to work very effectively, all year round and even on a cold winter’s day. The system will be able to supply your hot water heating requirements efficiently all year round.

It will be located inside of your home, and one of our technical surveyors will assist in recommending and planning a suitable location with you.

As long as a suitable system is installed it will be able to provide all of your hot water and heating needs. Our technical surveyor will be able to advise you on an appropriately system with the adequate output for your home.

Yes you can. We will advise you what we believe to be the best quality and value system available at the time. This is judged not only by the specifications from the manufacturer, but also from the installation experiences of our installers, and customers.

We are not tied to a particular manufacturer in order that we can maintain that flexibility to provide for our customers the very best product available at the time.

It also means that we are free to install any equipment a customer wishes. So if there is a particular make of system you have researched yourselves that you would specifically like us to install for you, then please let us know and we will source and quote accordingly.

One of our full time employed, non-commission based surveyors will visit your home to assess your hot water heating requirements, as well as how well insulated your home is in order to calculate the correct sized system for your home. The surveyor will also discuss with you the location options for the Ground Source Heat Pump to be installed.

The survey is required not only to be able to properly asses you property in term of being able to recommend the correct sized system for your home and to give you an accurate quote, but also adhere to the MCS (renewable energy installation governing body’s) standards, which requires us to give you the customer the most accurate data possible on how effective the proposed system will be.  The survey will involve a very comprehensive full building heat loss survey.

Unlike many renewable energy companies we are completely against the use of the typical hard sell techniques used by so many firms. We cannot stress enough that it isn’t an untrained commission based hard sell sales rep that will be visiting your home, but rather a fully trained technical surveyor who is there to give you the information required and answer any questions you may have.

The whole survey process should take around an hour depending on the size of property.

No. To be able to benefit from the government backed incentives the installation will have to be undertaken by an MCS accredited installer. Plus it is very important you know what you are doing.  A poorly sized and set-up system could result in higher bills.

This will of course vary depending on how much energy you use to heat your home and hot water, and how well insulated your house is.

A ground source heat pump system is extremely efficient (5 times the efficiency of other non renewable heating technologies). Even compared to a modern condensing boiler, you should expect to use around a quarter of the current energy you use to heat your home and hot water.

As well as saving the amount of heating energy you need to pay for, you will also be eligible to be paid extra for using your own produced energy, through the Renewable Heat Incentive.

As well as the savings you can make by needing less energy from your supplier, through the RHI scheme you will also be paid for the renewable energy you produce through your Ground Source Heat Pump system.

The RHI is paid to you even though you will be using the energy you create yourself in your own home. You are effectively getting paid for doing your bit to help the environment – it’s a thank you from the government for being a part of the solution to the planets problems rather than being a continued user of the non-sustainable energy produced by the big power companies.

For current Ground Source Heat Pump installations this generous payment is fixed for the next 7 years, giving you plenty of time to not only repay your initial investment, but also to earn an income from your System, tax free.

This will depend very much on the system installed and the property it is installed in, but we can give you a detailed estimate further to our site survey or calculations from your building plans.

To get a rough estimate, please use the DECC calculator on the following link (https://renewable-heat-calculator.service.gov.uk/Default.aspx) to work out what you are likely to earn and save. The calculators used are on independent government backed sites, so you can rest assured that the estimates they give are completely achievable, as opposed to the unrealistic calculators you may see on some commercial sales sites.

There is no need for you to do anything. As your MCS installer, Completely Green will take care of everything for you.

The Ground Source Heat Pump is a sealed unit designed for lengthy trouble free operation. All the maintenance that is required is that the unit is kept free of dirt and debris. A quick annual service check over will ensure a trouble free system for many years.

The Ground Source Heat Pump is designed to still work effectively even at sub zero temperatures as ground temperature in the UK is relatively constant. There should be no concern unless the temperature gets below minus 30!

Yes it is possible to have an ground source heat that can work alongside your existing boiler. However an adequately sized Ground source Heat Pump system is capable of providing all your heating and hot water needs at a much greater level of efficiency, so in our opinion working alongside a secondary boiler system is unnecessary, and doesn’t warrant the additional costs involved in installing a dual input system.

A Ground Source Heat Pump system can be connected up to your existing heating system, however bigger /  more modern radiators may be required. A heat pump is even more be more effective and efficient if connected to an underfloor heating system. If the system is going to be part of new build we recommend that it is connected to an under-floor heating system.

Very little. The majority of the work is done outside of the house, and the internal work involved will take less than a day (depending on the type of internal heating system it is being connected up to,) and you will only be left without hot water for a few hours. A typical install can be completed within 2-3 days, depending on any additional plumbing that may need to be involved.

Our installers are all full-time employed by Completely Green and we don’t use any external third party contractors. As a result you can rest assured that our installers are polite and professional, multi-skilled, efficient and clean and tidy – the very best around.

Typically we can have a system installed and up and running on your house within 3 weeks, but we will always try and fit around your requirements, and will always try and get it done sooner if you need us to. Equally if you wish to order more than a month before you would like it installed, we can delay installation until whatever date you request.

This very much depends on your water and central heating energy usage primarily, as well as how well insulated your home is.

The most important thing is to make sure you get a system large enough and precisely sized to supply the heating and hot water you require, and we will make sure that all calculations are done very accurately and that you are advised accordingly.

Conservative estimates for the current standard of the technology and the high standard of the equipment that we recommend, you should expect a system life span of at least 20 years +.

We are MCS accredited and members of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code, and use only our in house installers and surveyors. We guarantee a top level service from start to finish, with your balance payment only due when you are 100% satisified with the install.

We use the best quality equipment and as a result we can give you a 7 year warrantee on the equipment as well a 10 year warranty on the installation.