Geothermal for apartment buildings: performance, silence and shared savings

The energy transition of apartment buildings is a major challenge in Belgium. Between ever stricter EPC (PEB) standards and soaring fossil fuel prices, co-owned buildings are looking for sustainable alternatives. At WellDoneDrill, we install vertical drilling systems capable of heating and cooling entire buildings. Here is why geothermal is the most relevant solution for multi-unit housing.

1. No more noise and visual clutter

This is the number one problem with air-to-water heat pumps in dense urban areas: noise. Installing dozens of outdoor units on balconies or the roof creates unbearable noise for the neighbours and spoils the building's façade.

• Complete discretion: With geothermal, everything happens underground and in the basement. There is no outdoor fan, no vibration and nothing visible from the street.
• Respecting planning rules: In Brussels or historic town centres in Wallonia, planning regulations often ban air-conditioning units on façades. Geothermal elegantly avoids this constraint.

2. Geocooling: summer comfort without higher service charges

Global warming makes apartments (especially top-floor ones) stifling in summer. Installing conventional air conditioning in every unit sends shared electricity costs through the roof.

• Passive cooling: The network of probes at 150 metres circulates 12 °C water through the apartments' underfloor heating.
• Economies of scale: This cooling is almost free (only the circulator uses a little energy). It is a strong selling point for landlords and unrivalled comfort for residents.

3. Sharing the borehole field to cut costs

A big advantage of co-ownership is pooling the investment. Instead of each owner installing their own system, a shared geothermal borehole field is created.

• Optimised space: Several 150-metre boreholes (a borehole field) are drilled under the car park or the shared garden of the residence.
• Tailored output: The geothermal plant in the basement distributes heat according to the actual needs of each apartment, optimising the building's overall efficiency.

4. An immediate boost to property value

A building heated by geothermal energy benefits from an outstanding EPC rating.

• On resale: An apartment rated A or B sells faster and for more than one heated by gas or oil.
• Energy independence: The co-ownership is freed from fuel deliveries and geopolitical swings in gas prices. The "fuel" (the Earth's heat) belongs to the co-ownership.

5. An installation that (literally) lasts a lifetime

While a communal boiler must be replaced every 15 years, the borehole field built by WellDoneDrill is guaranteed for more than 50 years. It is a structural investment in the building. Only the heat pump in the plant room will need servicing or replacement in the long run; the ground loop infrastructure stays in the ground for generations.

Conclusion

For a co-owned building, geothermal is not an expense but a strategy to protect the building's value. It offers premium comfort (heating and cooling), ends neighbour disputes over noise and cuts energy bills by a factor of four. At WellDoneDrill, we support property managers and owners' associations from the feasibility study to commissioning.