Our Process

TownRock Energy are a specialist geothermal energy consultancy and service provider. We have the skills to help you understand the renewable heating and / or cooling opportunities available from the ground beneath your site. We can assess how strong the commercial case is for installing a geothermal energy system; compare against other heat options such as air-source heat pumps; and help you select the right contractors. Our process ensures that the best type and size of system is installed, maximising quality whilst minimising your exposure to risk and cost.

We can demonstrate the capacity and experience to lead this project through from Scope to Operate, drawing on an established supply chain and working closely with vetted contractors during the construction. TRE will always represent the client’s best interests, including during the crucial tendering phase of the works, acting as design consultant or Principal Designer. 

Project Phases & Decision Gates

We propose a six-phase process to take your project from the initial Scope Phase to Delivery and long term efficient and compliant running of your system for its 40+ year lifespan. However we work with a diverse and wide array of clients, so our services are customised to fit each client’s needs.

Your project will be appointed an “Owner” and “Manager” who will look after you throughout the project lifetime. If your project progresses to the next stage, your “Owner” will remain with you on your journey to net-zero, including providing support between project phases.

Additional Services

Closed-loop Ground-source Heat Pump Design
Is your thermal energy demand well balanced between seasonal heating and cooling? Is your heat demand too low to justify a large-scale open-loop geothermal project investment? We can design closed-loop borehole arrays to match any heat demand up to a few MW (small rural town). We can also source trusted drilling contractors and use our in-house thermal response test rig to test and analyse the heat resource from the first borehole installed to optimise design.

Water Source Evaluations
Is your water well or open-loop ground source heat pump not performing as expected? We can identify the problem by assessing sustainable flow rate, borehole temperature variations, water chemistry, pump performance and other issues, and offer a solution to improve your well / borehole. We also can deploy our in-house pump test rig for water well diagnosis.

Ground-source Heat Pump Improvement
Has your closed loop ground-source heat pump not been performing as expected? We can help identify the problem, and where possible design a cost-effective solution and recommend and oversee trusted contractors.

Thermal Conductivity Laboratory
Housed in the University of St Andrews, we own a tool which can measure the thermal conductivity of any rock or sample of unconsolidated material, which can be applied to better design a ground-source heat pump or deep geothermal energy system.

Building Energy Demand Modelling
For an existing or new commercial building, our technical experts can model the seasonal thermal energy demands, to predict the size and cost of heating and cooling generation required. We can then talk you through a number of renewable energy options and help you balance the installation and running costs with the environmental, economic and social benefits.