Why ground source fits Cheshire more often
Ground source needs space or drilling access, and it pays off best in homes that need a lot of heat. Cheshire has both more often than average. 36.6% of Cheshire East households and 30.6% in Cheshire West and Chester lived in detached houses in 2021, against 23.2% across England and Wales, and many of the 12,946 oil-heated households in the two councils are on rural plots.
How the loop works
A loop of plastic pipe, filled with water and antifreeze, is buried in the ground. The fluid picks up heat from the soil and carries it to the heat pump indoors, which lifts it to a useful temperature for radiators and hot water. A metre or two down, the ground changes temperature far less through the year than the air, so the heat pump has a steadier source on the coldest days. There is no outdoor fan and no defrosting.
Trenches
Horizontal loops are laid in trenches across a paddock, field or large garden, then the ground is reinstated. They are usually the cheaper loop where land allows.
Boreholes
Vertical loops go down one or more boreholes. They need very little surface area, but a drilling rig has to reach the site and drilling costs more than trenching.
What it costs, on the official figures
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme statistics report installed costs for grant-funded heat pumps across England and Wales. Ground source numbers are small, so the figures move around from quarter to quarter.
| Period | Median cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| July to September 2026 | £34,630 | Middle half £22,348 to £53,345; median size 15 kW |
| April to June 2026 | £27,232 | One quarter earlier |
| Financial year 2025/26 | £26,500 | From 365 redemptions |
Those are reported prices before the grant is deducted, for systems of varying sizes. A Cheshire home's own price depends on the loop type, the ground, the size of system and how far the site is from the installer. The grant is the same £7,500 for ground source as for air source, or £9,000 for an oil or LPG home with no mains gas until 31 March 2027, so the premium over air source is largely paid by the owner.
Planning
Part 14 Class C of England's permitted development order covers the installation, alteration or replacement of a ground source heat pump within the grounds of a house or a block of flats. The Part 14 text sets no further size limits for Class C of the kind Class G sets for air source units. Listed buildings and other designated sites should still be checked with the council; see planning rules and listed buildings.
When it is worth the premium
- Large heat demand. A big, older farmhouse needs a lot of heat; better winter efficiency is worth more there.
- Easy trenching. Open land that can be dug and reinstated keeps loop costs down.
- Noise or space constraints. No outdoor fan unit, and the heat pump sits indoors.
- Long ownership. A buried loop has no moving parts and a long life.
The fair test is two designs for the same home: air source and ground source, each with its expected seasonal efficiency and price. Divide the extra cost by the yearly running-cost difference to see how long the premium takes to recover.
Shared loops
Where several homes sit close together, such as a terrace of cottages or a small development, a shared ground loop can serve each home's own heat pump. It spreads the drilling cost. It needs agreement between owners about the shared infrastructure, so it suits groups more than individual households.
Questions for a ground source design
- How has the loop been sized against the home's heat loss, and what ground conditions were assumed?
- Trenches or boreholes, how many, and where exactly on the plot?
- Who digs or drills, and who reinstates the land afterwards?
- What seasonal efficiency does the design expect, at what flow temperature?
- What would the equivalent air source design cost and achieve, for comparison?
Keep the loop drawings with the house documents. A buried loop is invisible, and anyone digging later, including for drainage, fencing or tree planting, will need to know where it runs.
For many rural Cheshire households the realistic comparison is between an air source system now and a ground source system that costs more but runs more efficiently for longer. Both qualify for the same grant band.
Keep in mind that a ground source system needs space indoors too: the heat pump unit itself sits inside, often in a utility room, garage or outbuilding, alongside the hot water cylinder.
Ground source is one route among several for an off-gas home. The conditions for the higher grant band are on oil and LPG homes, the consortium grant for lower-income households is on the Warm Homes: Local Grant page, and the rural route finder shows which routes match your home.