The GSHP Screening Tool is a national-scope screening tool for England which will guide initial feasibility studies for using ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) as an option for low-carbon heating for individual public sector buildings and sites. Originally developed for NHS buildings by Energy Systems Catapult and the British Geological Survey, funding from DESNZ in early 2025 has enabled the scope of the tool to be expanded to include many more types of public sector buildings.

The GSHP Screening Tool accepts data from the user, including site and building data, and from this it assists users to establish:

• the availability of ground source heat in their area.
• potential benefits specific to their location.
• potential challenging ground/drilling problems that may be present.

Before starting using the tool it would be helpful to have some data about the site and the buildings that you wish to evaluate. This includes the building age, use, floor area, and periphery. While the tool can estimate both the annual usage and peak demand, this may not be accurate for the particular buildings that you wish to consider. Inputting reliable data for one or both will significantly improve the accuracy of the results. The tool assumes boreholes will be drilled to access ground source heat. The area that is available on the site for drilling holes is needed. This can be an estimate if an exact figure is not known. The land that would be suitable would include car parks or grassed areas of the site.

It is important to note that the tool is for initial feasibility studies only and cannot replace a detailed design study. The tool should be used to help gather evidence of the viability of GSHPs for your site, and to provide indicative cost and performance estimates.