A couple of months ago I never thought I’d get to the stage of turning the ground source heat system on, let alone proclaim it a success. In the last 3 years the house has never gone above 18°C but in the last two weeks it’s been a permanent toasty 20°C. I feel like sending our friends an email saying it’s safe to come and stay.

I’d be lying if I told you the process had been a doddle. It involved multiple trades – men with diggers, tree surgeons, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, heat pump technicians not to mention a severed water pipe, a near miss with the gas mains and a field left looking like a quagmire. But the pain and hassle has been worth it. The kids are now wandering around in T-shirts and I’ve removed my Ugg boots for the first time in 3 years.

We’ve got state of the art heat pumps connected into our conky old radiator system (which incidentally has been pressurized and seems to like it) and the whole thing is working like a dream. In fact, I’ve had to lower the flow temperature twice now because we’ve been getting too hot. We’ve also got oodles of hot water heated to a pleasing 55°C and a rewarding quarterly RHI payment. One of the best things though is not having to hear our ancient gas boilers fire up and fill the downstairs loo with fumes. So if you’re considering ground source heat, consider it further because so far it’s brilliant. I couldn’t recommend Iso Energy more highly – they delivered an excellent system on time and on budget. Also check out my 5 December post Heat from the ground which gives tips on installation.

However, before I get too smug I haven’t had an electricity bill yet and we haven’t had a long cold snap so I’ll report back. Also, now that our house is consistently warm I’m apprehensively awaiting the moth infestation.