Ground source heat pumps work "very well" with self builds

A ground source heat pump works best with a newly-built property, it has emerged.

Mark Brinkley, author of the Housebuilder's Bible, said that such pumps work "very well" with self build developments that have been built with the specific purpose of installing a ground source heat pump.

Speaking at the Grand Designs Live show in Birmingham, Mr Brinkely said that new builds make the most of what the technology has to offer and that for every unit of power you put in, you get three units of heat out.

"The clever thing about ground source heat pumps is the gearing effect they get in pulling most of the heat out of the garden," he added.

A report released earlier this year by the Communities and Local Government committee revealed that existing properties in the UK emit 1.6 tonnes of carbon each year, which represents nearly twice the amount of carbon as the typical new build.