Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems are recognised as one of the most energy-efficient renewable technologies for heating and cooling buildings. Despite their high efficiency and environmental benefits, their widespread adoption across Europe has traditionally been limited by the high initial investment required, particularly for drilling operations and the installation of ground heat exchangers. Reducing these installation costs while maintaining system performance is essential to increasing the competitiveness of shallow geothermal energy and accelerating its market uptake.

The Cheap-GSHPs project aimed to develop innovative technological solutions that significantly reduce the installation costs of shallow geothermal systems without compromising their efficiency, reliability or long-term performance. The project focused on improving every stage of the installation process, including innovative drilling techniques, optimised borehole heat exchanger designs, advanced grouting materials and improved installation methodologies. These developments were validated through demonstration sites across different European climatic and geological conditions.

A major objective of the project was to simplify and standardise the installation of ground-source heat pump systems while reducing drilling time, material consumption, and overall project costs. In parallel, Cheap-GSHPs developed new design tools, monitoring systems and technical guidelines to improve system sizing, installation quality and operational performance. The project also produced best-practice recommendations and technical standards to support the wider adoption of shallow geothermal technologies throughout Europe. By combining technological innovation with large-scale demonstration and knowledge transfer, Cheap-GSHPs demonstrated that shallow geothermal systems can become a more affordable and competitive renewable heating and cooling solution for residential, commercial and public buildings. The project contributed to strengthening the European geothermal sector and laid the foundation for subsequent research projects such as GEOCOND and GEO4CIVHIC, which further advanced geothermal materials, borehole technologies and system performance.

Cheap-GSHPs project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 657982.