District heating via ASHP/GSHP

[janelondon]

Does anyone have experience designing a district heating system with ASHP or GSHP? We will have a few different buildings on our site and I'm considering ASHP to supply heat to each individually via a network of insulated pipes. Not a fan of pellet/biomass as I would like a "fit it and forget it" system. 

 

Most examples I've seen are for GSHP, and the non-domestic RHI payment is also higher for GHSP vs ASHP (9.36p vs 2.75p). However, broadly speaking I have a preference for ASHP due to the lower installation cost and maintenance. Still in the process of modelling all our heating requirements to estimate likely costs and RHI payments. The RHI will drive considerations but will be balanced against the practical needs.

 

I had a brief conversation with a building services engineer who said his experience with district heating has been disappointing - "expensive and higher heat loss and energy costs than expected". His recommendation as a variant of district heating is to distribute borehole water to local heat pumps. 

 

I'd appreciate if anyone could point me in the direction of any issues, problems, things to watch out for... Recommendations for a sensibly-priced M&E engineer also appreciated!

[Russell griffiths]

Have you looked at the cost of that insulated pipe. 

It would be cheaper to have an ASHP for every building. 

[janelondon]

Definitely haven't ruled that out, but would like to do further research and consider all options! 

 

1 hour ago, Russell griffiths said:

cheaper to have an ASHP for every building