A ground source heat pump harnesses the solar energy in your garden soil and uses it to heat your home. This process is more natural than burning fossil fuels or even using an electrical system. You can use controls to turn the heat pump on and off just as you would with another system. If you want to put in this type of heating system, it is quite an investment. Prices range for parts and installation, but you should be prepared to pay around 10,000 pounds or more in total. Because this is such as major investment, it’s necessary to make preparations before you actually get the heat pump system installed. Here are just a few of the ways you can prepare your home for a ground source heat pump.

Inspect the Garden Soil

The soil in your garden must be suitable for digging. While you don’t need to have a huge garden space to install a ground heat pump, if the soil is very rocky or difficult to dig under you may not be the ideal candidate for a ground source heat pump. If you do choose to install the system, you will need to notify the installer about the type of soil that you have and it may become necessary to make special arrangements for digging the trench or borehole when there is a lot of rock or hard clay. Your garden must also be accessible to the necessary drilling equipment, so figure out a way that the installer can get large drilling machinery into your garden.

Install Insulation

You can save more energy with your ground source heat pump when the heated air doesn’t easily escape through poorly insulated walls and flooring. Prepare your home now by installing better insulation in the walls, and consider adding floor insulation if you have access to a cellar where you can put the insulation beneath a floor. Flooring insulation is most easily installed in homes with timber flooring, but you can also install it when you have a concrete base. You can reduce lost energy by a significant degree by adding wall and floor insulation before your new heating system is installed.

Reduce Drafts

Similar to adding insulation, reducing the drafts in your home in preparation for a ground source heat pump will help you eliminate wasted energy. Drafts are most often the result of windows and doors that are not properly sealed or fitted. While you may not be able to entirely replace the doors and windows in your home – you don’t need to in most cases. Go to a do it yourself store and pick up some sealant. Sold in a tube, the caulk or other sealant that you choose should be weather proof. If the draft is coming from a substantial opening, you may also want to add some rubber stripping along the perimeter of the door or window so that it closes more tightly and shuts out all drafts.

Combine the Work with Other Remodeling

Your preparation plans for a ground source heat pump should also factor in other remodel work. If you are already planning on doing other work in the garden or one of your property’s outbuildings, schedule the work to be done at the same time as the heat pump when it makes sense. In the very least, you should invite the heat pump installer and other construction contractors to work together to figure out a work schedule that is sensible for everyone. You don’t want to damage your new pump with unrelated excavations that are necessary for a separate project.

Ground source heat pumps are an expensive but energy efficient way to keep your home heated all year round. Even though they require a large initial investment, you can save hundreds of pounds on energy costs each year that you use the pump to heat your house. However, you must always prepare your home for the heat pump if you want the installation job to go as smoothly as possible and the heat pump to work to reduce energy costs. When in doubt, consult with an experienced installer to find out the best ways to get your home ready for a new ground source heat pump.