The latest eBook by GeoEnergy Design explores the UK’s untapped renewables, water source heat pumps, and how they deliver low-carbon heating at scale
Following the growing momentum behind ground source (GSHP) and air source heat pumps (ASHP), attention is increasingly turning to a third, often overlooked, technology: the water source heat pump (WSHP).
While less widely deployed, WSHPs offer a compelling opportunity to harness one of the UK’s most abundant natural resources to deliver low-carbon heating and cooling at scale.
With rivers, lakes, canals and vast underground aquifers spread across the country, the potential for water-based systems is significant. Yet despite this, adoption has remained relatively niche. So, what exactly is a WSHP and why might its time finally have come?
A pivotal moment: Kingston Heights and The National Map
A key milestone in the UK’s WSHP journey came in 2013, when Ed Davey, then secretary of state for energy and climate change and MP for Kingston and Surbiton, supported the Kingston Heights development. This scheme utilised an innovative open-loop water source heat pump system, extracting heat from the River Thames to provide heating and hot water to both residential and hotel buildings.
The project attracted widespread attention across engineering and energy publications, not only for its technical delivery but also for what it represented: a proof-of concept that river based heat pumps could operate effectively in an urban UK context.
Perhaps more significantly, the project prompted a broader strategic response. Davey tasked the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) with producing a national map of water source heat pump potential.
Released on 22 August 2014, the map highlighted rivers, canals and other water bodies across the UK capable of supporting WSHP deployment. Its purpose was clear: to raise awareness of the vast, largely untapped renewable energy resource flowing through the nation’s waterways.
This eBook states that more than a decade on, that map remains highly relevant. The resource it identified has not diminished; if anything, the urgency to exploit it has grown
