With interest in Geothermal heat source installations hitting an all time high, Land-Drill decided to exhibit at two of the biggest Renewable Energy conferences being held in Scotland over the summer months.
First up for Land-Drill was the Homebuilding & Renovation show being held at the Glasgow SECC on Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th of May, where we exhibited in conjunction with one of our Geothermal partners Danfoss heat pumps, this was followed swiftly by an appearance at the UK's largest ever Renewable Energy exhibition, the All Energy 2009 show held at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre in Bridge of Don on the 20th & 21st of May.
Land-Drill provided expert advice at both these distinctly different exhibitions, whereas the Homebuilding & Renovation show was mainly self builders with a smattering of developers, the All Energy show had an interesting mixture of delegates this encompassed the public, local authority and council representatives and interested parties from the Renewable Energy sector.
Enquiries to Land-Drill tended to fall into three main categories;
Q; What are the installation options for a Geothermal system?
A; The trench system and boreholes are the two most favored methods, the trench system tends to be used in new build homes, being dug at the same time as the founds, please note that a great deal of land is needed for these installations (one and a half times the floor area of the property), trenches are not always viable in areas of shallow rock and the digging can be intrusive where there are established gardens. Boreholes are the preferred option when space is at a premium or disruption to surrounding areas is a problem, the borehole method also gives slightly better returns energy wise due to the depth of the hole (generally between 50 and150 mtrs).
Q; What size of system do I need?
A; Although all systems are designed on a site specific basis, a 6kw system with a single borehole would normally be sufficient for a 3-4 bedroom, well insulated property. Larger properties would have their energy needs calculated individually.
Q; What return can I expect energy & cost wise from my system?
A; A well designed Geothermal system can return up to a 4:1 ratio with conventional energy and the system can be expected to recoup its outlay over a 5 year period in the central belt of Scotland and considerably quicker in the Highlands where fuel costs are much higher (remember grants of up to £4000 are available to help with installation).
For more information on Geothermal installations please contact Land-Drill directly. |
