GSHP - Will prices come down? 22 June 2022 at 2:20PM in Green & ethical MoneySaving 6 replies 155 views

waqasahmed

With an ASHP, that's a more easier question to answer ie: as time goes on, the cheaper they get

With a GSHP, presumably the additional costs from it isn't just the heat pump but rather the planning, drilling, and any thing that you need to put in for the piping which may end up costing more if it's copper too. I imagine they're a bit more involved labour wise too.

Given that GSHP installations are inherently more complex, would their costs really go down as much as ASHP installations? 

tacpot12

No. They won’t go down as much as ASHPs because they will remain more specialised. ASHPs will be cheaper because they will be the most common form of heat pump, and there will be more competition as well. 

QrizB

waqasahmed said:

Given that GSHP installations are inherently more complex, would their costs really go down as much as ASHP installations? 

The cost of the "heat pump" parts of a GSHP should fall at a similar rate to the heat pump parts of an ASHP. Both are relatively immature technologies and there is scope for efficiencies of scale.

Digging holes in the ground, and making/laying pipe, are both mature technologies and GSHPs are a small fraction of the market for either. Prices are unlikely to fall quickly in real terms.

matelodave

As above, the major cost with a GSHP is the labour content laying the ground loops and that's likely to keep increasing with inflation and GSHP are more of a niche market than ASHP so are less likely to achieve the economies of scale and price reduction that we'd hope although major parts are going to be pretty similar. 

paul991

anyone looked at these  from 4  k
https://www.kensaheatpumps.com/shoebox-ground-source-heat-pump/

1961Nick

A GSHP makes sense for a newbuild or a major refurbishment but the cost for an existing dwelling is prohibitive as well as very invasive - those boring machines don't half make a mess of your garden!

My view is that ASHP technology will become mainstream & GSHPs will remain niche & expensive for that reason (unless someone figures out how to drill a very deep hole cheaply).

waqasahmed

1961Nick said:

A GSHP makes sense for a newbuild or a major refurbishment but the cost for an existing dwelling is prohibitive as well as very invasive - those boring machines don't half make a mess of your garden!

My view is that ASHP technology will become mainstream & GSHPs will remain niche & expensive for that reason (unless someone figures out how to drill a very deep hole cheaply).

Here's hoping for both a higher average COP  and also climate friendly refrigerants too. It's good to decarbonise, however those efforts don't mean as much as they do, if refrigerants are really terrible for the environment, especially as AC use (including by way of heat pumps) is set to explode in use.