Markets

Not just for homes​
PipelinePilot can install in-ground pipe fields for offices, stores and apartment buildings, too.​ 

While any building owner will benefit by converting from fossil fuel to a ground-source heat pump, most of our potential customers are retrofits, that is, conversions from an older system to an efficient new one.

New construction is already disruptive, so adding trenching equipment or well derricks doesn’t create too much more chaos.

But the owner whose property is already mature wants speedy PipelinePilot installation with little fuss and lower cost.

Our portion of that market is single- and multi-family homes and small apartment buildings. There are several million such conversions each year.

And the market is moving up. In 2022, heat pumps overtook gas furnaces as the number one newly installed heating system in the US. In the larger trend, global heat pump sales grew that year by about 11% and European heat pump sales were up 40%. [Analysis from May, 2022, by the International Energy Agency.]

But ground-source heat pumps still comprise only a minor part of that growth (e.g., 2.5% in the EU) because of the hurdle cost. In 2022 dollars, the typical overall installation cost was about $20,000, a huge chunk of which is the pipe field. Reducing that number to around $5,000 makes adopting a ground-source heat pump a much easier decision.

Hot and cold regions or those with strong seasonal swings are the places where PipelinePilot will produce the most economic and environmental benefit.

Clayey and sandy soil work best – earth with numerous boulders or ledges may require a different approach. Thanks to our low-cost and portability, we can easily run a test bore to determine beforehand if the PipelinePilot is the best solution for a property owner.

If you are interested in going deeper into ground-source heat exchangers and the PipelinePilot’s hammock fields approach, please contact us. You’ll be doing yourself and the planet a favor.