Isoenergy

isoenergy specialises in specifying, installing and commissioning high quality ecologically sustainable heating and energy systems. We work with commercial and residential properties to consult, recommend, specify and implement all types of sustainable energy systems. Our renewable energy services range from helping you to select the most appropriate renewable energy system to providing a complete turnkey solution to your needs. We also offer maintenance services for existing installations.

Our services include design, implementation, commissioning, groundwork and installation and are fully managed in-house by our isoenergy engineers. We have unparalleled experience and knowledge of large country properties and listed buildings, but also work with commercial buildings, residential properties, churches, schools, public buildings and social housing developments.

isoenergy’s reputation is built upon word-of-mouth recommendation from satisfied customers and has achieved this prestigious reputation through our honest and clear approach when working with our clients.

The company is not tied to one renewable energy manufacturer, and rather than installing the same solution into every property, isoenergy always seeks to define and satisfy the property's specific needs.

Proof of the quality of our work has recently been recognised by the Energy Saving Trust who awarded us with the Installation of the Year Award for our work with Whitbread's Premier Inns. Our micro hydro generation and heat pump project at the Mill House won Domestic Installation of the Year at the 2012 National Heat Pump Awards.

Our people

isoenergy has specific teams that work on various stages of a project.

Our Consultant Engineers will meet with you at your property to discuss your requirements and produce an initial design and estimate.

Once an order has been placed the case file will be handed to the Technical Team who will contact you to undertake preliminary surveys, where required, and will advise on installation dates.

The Technical Team comprises our key designers for the technologies we install from solar panels and biomass, to air source and ground source heat pumps. In addition, we normally assign a dedicated Project Manager, depending on the scale of an installation.

The Project Managers oversee ordering, design, delivery and installation helping to ensure your project runs without delay from start to finish, liaising with other trades on site as necessary.

Our Engineers and Installers are all employed directly by isoenergy to ensure quality of installation. They work together with our Service Department to provide maintenance where required.

We have a dedicated Accounts Department, and when working on Listed Buildings, new builds and renovations we can provide guidance on the relevant VAT rates, available grants and subsidies.

Overview

Ground source heat pumps take heat from the ground, raise its temperature and use the energy to heat your property. Ground source heat pumps operate on the same refrigeration cycle principles as a domestic fridge, but use the cycle in reverse to generate spatial heating and domestic hot water. Ground source heat pumps can also be used to provide spatial cooling either using a passive circuit to meet low level cooling demands or using an active circuit where cooling demands are higher. Both active and passive modes can act to partially replenish the ground array and, if both heating and cooling modes are utilised, the total annualised seasonal performance factors can be very high. This can deliver excellent fuel savings and significant carbon emissions reductions.

The advantage of using a ground source heat pump is its efficiency. For every kWh of electricity used to power the heat pump, about three or four kWh of energy is extracted from the ground. This ratio of heat supplied to the building and the electrical energy consumed is called the Coefficient of Performance (CoP). In the simplest form, think of it as buy one get three free!

A ground source heat pump installation will typically consist of a heat pump, ground collector array to absorb energy from the ground, a manifold and manifold pit for joining it all together, circulation pumps to move the energy around the system, various automatic and manual valves, an expansion vessel, a buffer tank to store the energy, a hot water cylinder for heating domestic hot water and a weather compensated control system to make it all work.

How it works

Ground Source Heat Pumps take solar energy stored in the ground and compress it to heat your property and/or provide hot water.

Basic Principles

The basic principles of a closed loop ground source heat pump system begin with the absorption of heat from the ground heat source. This is typically an array of pipes buried underground horizontally, vertically in a bore-hole, or even laid in a lake. See the collector types tab for more information on sources

Heat absorption is achieved by circulating water mixed with antifreeze (Glycol) through a closed collector pipework system. The temperature of the earth at one metre below ground level remains fairly consistent between approximately 6 - 12ºC throughout the year depending on geographical location and soil type. Contrary to popular belief this is stored solar energy, energy from rainfall and (in some circumstances) energy from migrating ground water, not geothermal heat from the centre of the earth.

The stages of the Ground Source Heat Pump
1. Energy in the form of heat is absorbed from the heat source (rock, ground or lake) through a closed collector system containing water mixed with vegetable based antifreeze.
2. The collector fluid then transfers this energy to the refrigerant in the heat pump's evaporator heat exchanger.
3. The refrigerant vaporises and is then compressed in the compressor which is where most of the electricity is consumed. When a gas is compressed its temperature increases to around 50°C (this is the core scientific principle behind the gas compression cycle).
4. The refrigerant, with its increased temperature, enters the condenser heat exchanger where it transfers its energy to the heat medium circuit. This then provides spatial heating to the wet radiator or underfloor heating circuits, the hot water cylinder or a combination of heat emitters.

how a heat pump works

Collector types

Closed loop collectors for water heat sources

Using a lake or river as the heat source is the most efficient option, as water has excellent heat transfer qualities and its temperature is regularly refreshed as the cold water is replaced by warm water allowing for more heat to be extracted. Installing the collector in a lake or any permanent water source will normally reduce the necessary collector pipe length.

Open loop collectors for water heat sources

Theoretically, it is possible to install an open loop collector in a river or lake that circulates the actual river water through the heat pump. However, isoenergy strongly recommends avoiding open loop collectors as they are prone to getting blocked by the river’s occupants, fish, algae, plant matter etc.