Geothermal Boreholes

News : Synergy has invested in the most modern automated, high speed drilling rig, the Comacchio MC900GT

Geothermal Boreholes in the context of our industry, refers boreholes drilled to depths of 80 m to 200 m in order to harvest the absorbed solar heat stored in the outermost layer of the earth for use in Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP's). This is a misleading definition, because true geothermal heat harvesting would require the drilling of boreholes to much greater depths in order to tap into the heat radiating from the molten core of our planet.

Synergy Boreholes and Systems Ltd. drills and equips boreholes and installs borehole arrays for GSHP's. We have been doing this for many years. We use only the best materials and adhere to the latest industry standards.

In partnership with selected renewable energy companies we also offer the complete GSHP package. We do this with the most modern equipment. Our rotary hydraulic drills can drill to 200m. We use either mud flush, or air drilling techniques. In the case of mud drilling we use automatic filtration / recycling units to keep mess and disruption on site to a minimum.

Our corporate clients

What is Geothermal?

Ground Source Heat Pumps as installed in the UK generally do not utilise the heat radiated by the earths core but rather that which is absorbed and stored by the outermost layer of the earths surface from the radiated heat of our... Read more

Why go for Geothermal?

Of all the green/renewable heat sources geothermal is by far the most constant and reliable.

Its disadvantages are

Its initial installation cost (this is now subsidised by government),... Read more

Why use Synergy?

Synergy has a long history of providing geothermal borehole installations to private clients

Synergy operates to the standards expected of an ISO 9001 accredited organisation. We use the best, therefore not necessarily the... Read more

Requirement Calculations

These must be conducted by an experienced professional and not a high pressure salesman. If not done correctly, the result can all too often be a heat pump sale with an underestimation of the borehole requirement, leading to a negation of the... Read more

Geological Survey / TRT / Design

Geological surveys and/or TRT's are strongly recommended for larger GSHP installations

A geological survey will give a strong indication of the thermal characteristics at the site where the boreholes are to be drilled... Read more

Why is COP crucial to borehole dimensioning?

COP (Coefficient Of Performance) is the figure expressing the efficiency of the heat pump

It has many similar characteristics to the MPG (Miles Per Gallon) figure given for cars, in that

Manufacturers claims are to be... Read more

How much will it cost?

Leaving aside all the ecological and moral arguments for a moment. The most asked question is: How much do I have to spend to get a GSHP / Boreholes package? This question can elicit an uncharacteristic coyness in some GSHP salesmen, who will try... Read more

Financial Considerations

To install a Ground Source Heat Pump system with boreholes requires a significant financial commitment. The obvious questions are therefore

How much will it... Read more

Boreholes for Cooling

Ground source cooling can be used to cool buildings. This approach is less expensive than air conditioning which provides cooling by heat exchange with external air – often hot air. Ground source cooling is a mechanism of allowing the... Read more

Borehole (Array) Dimensioning

The importance of correct GSHP and associated borehole dimensioning cannot be overstated. It is not unheard of for salesmen to "underestimate" the dimensions of borehole requirements in order to make a quick heat... Read more

GSHP System Design and Installation

Should you be considering the installation of a GSHP system, it is certainly worth doing a little research about how they work and the benefits they bring. It is also worth looking around for a good renewable energy company to take charge of the... Read more

Documentation

Synergy will provide the client with comprehensive documentation of the project.

This begins with the quote submitted in writing, this will clearly describe the following:-

The quote will list all the services that Synergy... Read more

The fastest gun.....

MC900GT, the fastest drilling rig for geothermal boreholes in the country

A high volume geothermal borehole drilling rig for projects of 50 kW (10 boreholes or more)

The latest cutting edge technology automated... Read more

Open Loop GSHP Systems

When is an Open Loop system the right alternative to choose?

Open loop geothermal heating systems work by extracting the heat from water pumped from a waterwell borehole, before this water is returned to the... Read more

Pool Heating With A GSHP

GSHP's are often used for heating swimming pools in preference to Air Source Heat Pumps because in winter when the heating requirement is greatest (indoor pools) the low external air temperatures lower the efficiency of Air Source Heat... Read more

New GSHP Industry Standards

The following standards and guidelines represent major initiatives to drive up quality standards in the Ground Source Heating Industry.

Consumer confidence in our industry is essential to its long term growth and... Read more

Groundworks

This term describes the joining together of the boreholes to provide circulatory system for the thermal fluid, including a main feed to, and from, the heat pump.

Not the most exciting topic, but a vital part of any geothermal borehole... Read more

KENSA Ground Source Heat Pumps

As the UK’s only manufacturer of a full range of ground source heat pump systems, Kensa Engineering has established an unrivalled reputation for providing first class technical... Read more

VAT applied to GSHP's & Boreholes

As with any building associated project it is important that the favourable classification of these energy saving technologies by HMRC is fully utilised.

You should not be paying more than 5% VAT on your residential geothermal heat pump... Read more

Avoiding problems with bacteria

Ground source heat pumps are rapidly gaining acceptance in the UK, in line with other northern european countries.

There is now growing experience with systems that have... Read more

Cautionary notes

If you observe the following simple points when commissioning your geothermal borehole project, you may save significant amounts of money and aggravation.

The investment in a GSHP with a borehole, or borehole array is a... Read more

FAQs About GSHP's

1. Can the heat pump heat the whole house?

Yes it can. Newly built or well-insulated buildings can be easily heated with a heat pump. Old, badly insulated buildings can however be a... Read more

High Quality Materials

Synergy will always use the highest quality material for our geothermal projects

Our supplier of choice is MGS

The use of high quality materials and components is essential to the optimal function and life of the... Read more

32 mm or 40 mm Loops?

Size is not everything

Never more true than in the dimensioning of geothermal probe diameters.
The liquid flowing through the geothermal probes must pick up the heat... Read more

PE100+ Material

Why the end user should choose the more expensive specification material for the geothermal loops and headerworks pipes. Why not use the cheaper generic PE 80 or PE100 material offered by others and save some money?

Quite simply, PE100+... Read more

Thermal Transfer Fluid

Synergy Boreholes and Systems will be glad to supply your heat transfer fluid and biocides to ensure long term trouble free operation of your system.
If you wish we can purge the borehole/manifold/header pipe... Read more

Distribution / Balancing Manifolds

Synergy offers a complete range of underground manifold chambers for larger installations.

Each chamber comes fully equipped with flowmeters and balancing /shut-off valves to enabele each individual borehole to be equally loaded. In the... Read more