Discussion: Sustainable groundwater-source cooling systems for buildings

Contribution by Chris Shirley-Smith

I would like to raise some concerns about the effects of the use of groundwater for ground-source cooling (and heating) systems.

Water Works UK aspires to use groundwater that is produced locally as a source of ‘green’ water for new developments. In this way, and assuming that the abstracted water quality is suitable, some 30% of potable water from the town main may be saved by the deployment of ‘lower grade’ green water for such uses as toilet flushing, public area and street cleansing, amenity lake filling and a number of other such applications. We have...