In 1977, A.O. Van De Wiele bvba came into being. Forty-five years later, three Van De Wiele brothers are at the helm of the family business. Operating from Herzele in East Flanders, the company is a specialist in well drilling, pump installations, and vertical geothermal drilling. For this latter activity, the brothers rely on Deschacht for the supply of HDPE geothermal probes, collector wells, welding supplies, and overhead lines.
Over the years, A.O. Van De Wiele bvba has specialized in drilling vertical heat exchangers. Due to the massive price increases of traditional energy sources, geothermal energy has become an interesting alternative. “We are currently seeing a huge surge in the number of requests for geothermal drilling by up to 30%,” states co-managing director Johan Van De Wiele. “Even in new construction projects that were still planned with a gas installation, people are now choosing to switch to geothermal energy. However, owners of existing homes with a gas boiler are also now looking to switch from a gas boiler to a geothermal heat pump. A solid 80% of our assignments are in private residential construction, and we also carry out drilling for businesses and public works. A project includes calculations, site visits, drilling, and collector work. On average, we have about sixty projects in our order book per year.”
Earth as a heat accumulator
Through geothermal drilling, heat can be extracted from the earth in a small area using vertical probes. After all, the earth is a very good heat accumulator at a depth of 10 to 100 meters. Rain and sun ensure that its temperature remains around 8 °C to 12 °C throughout the entire year. In one or more boreholes between 25 meters and 100 meters deep, geothermal probes are lowered through which the heat pump's glycol mixture circulates and absorbs free heat from the earth. Depending on the geological composition, the yield per meter of drilling is approximately 40 Watts per meter.
Qualitative materials & personal service
For the supply of materials, A.O. Van De Wiele has relied on the Deschacht branch in Tielt for over five years. “All the necessary materials such as HDPE geo-probes, electrofusion fittings, overhead lines, and HDPE collector pits are supplied by Deschacht,” Johan says. “Quality materials and personal service are the two pillars of our trusting relationship with Deschacht. Time and again, we immediately get someone on the line who assists us with advice and practical help, and thanks to the quality materials, we can complete every project with satisfied end customers.”
AO Putboringen Van De Wiele
well drilling, geothermal drilling, pump installations
