MCS launches Drilling Specification
25 February 2022
The MCS Specification for Ground Source Closed-Loop Drilling is now available. You can access the full document here.
Over the course of 2021, MCS worked with the Ground Source Heat Pump Association (GSHPA) Drillers Action Group to create formal criteria for the drilling of boreholes, associated with the installation of ground source heat pumps.
Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS, hosted a free webinar on Friday 25 February to introduce the new specification. He was accompanied by a panel, including Andrea Ellison, a director of the GSHPA; Richard Fielden, chair of the BDA; and Chris Davidson, chairman and technical director of Genius Energy Lab.
The event provided an opportunity to run through the new specification in detail and answer any questions from industry.
A recording of the webinar is now available. Watch the replay now.
This new specification is intended to cover that part of the installation of a Ground Source Heat Pump that does not currently attract specific MCS requirements, against which a driller’s performance can be assessed. It sets the quality criteria for borehole drillers and their drilling activities and addresses the following:
- A definition of a driller’s competency and associated qualifications.
- The contractual arrangements that are expected to be in place between driller and installer (MCS contractor).
- A series of pre-drilling requirements, including the provision of site surveys, permissions, and a method statement in advance of the drilling activity.
- A series of requirements relating to the drilling activity itself, including the equipment and materials to be used, and the disposal of waste once the drilling activity is complete.
- Requirements for the handover and commissioning of boreholes, ready for the installation of the Ground Source Heat Pump by the MCS installer (MCS contractor).
An initial consultation on the new specification took place in early 2021.
The document is available now in the MCS Standards & Tools Library.