New tools to support the designing of efficient and reliable ground source heat exchangers: the Cheap-GSHPs databases and maps.

The final aim of the EU funded Cheap-GSHPs project is to reduce the total installation cost of closed-loop shallow geothermal systems. As part of the project a Decision Support System (DSS) has been developed and released on the web, in order to support the design of new closed-loop geo-exchange systems. The Cheap-GSHP project addresses all the aspects involved in planning and dimensioning a new borefield and therefore, the DSS is composed of several databases and tools that collect and elaborate the preliminary data and information that are necessary during the sizing phase, such as the geological and drilling aspects as well as the heating and cooling building demand. This paper briefly introduces the content of the databases and the mapping methodology developed for the Cheap-GSHPs DSS. All these researches are further deepen in the EU project GEO4CIVHIC, with a special attention to the application of shallow geothermal systems for building conditioning to historical buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]