Borehole heat exchangers
Precision drilling up to 500 m. Also in urban environments and with complex geology.
Geothermal · Since the 1980s
Geothermal from Swiss ground.
We have been drilling borehole heat exchangers since the 1980s — long before sustainability became a marketing word. Today we are among the most experienced pioneers in Switzerland and deliver everything from a single source: from the borehole to the connection.
- Heating & Cooling
- Crisis-proof
- Weather-independent
- Space-saving
- Constant output
Connection pipes
Complete connection system — from probe to manifold. One single point of contact for the entire trade.
Management summary
Geothermal energy today covers around 5 % of Switzerland's heating demand — with enormous growth potential. A probe lasts up to 80 years, a system pays for itself after around 19 years (before subsidies), and federal and cantonal subsidies actively support heating replacement.
All figures, sources and FAQ →Heating & Cooling
Cooling in summer —
at almost zero cost.
Summers are getting hotter — and the same probe that heats in winter cools in summer. Something oil and gas heating simply cannot do. What is a bonus today becomes more of a given with every hot summer.
Passive cooling ≈ free
With free cooling only the circulation pump runs (~100 W) — no compressor. The brine draws the cool directly from the ground. Comfort as a by-product of the borehole.
Regenerates the ground
The summer heat released into the ground recharges the probe for winter — stabilising efficiency and extending service life.
No outdoor unit, no noise
Unlike an air conditioner, geocooling needs no outdoor unit — nothing humming, nothing to disturb the neighbourhood.
Process
How earth becomes heat.
A borehole heat exchanger is more than a hole in the ground. Six steps, precisely executed — and the building heats itself from the depths for decades to come.
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01
Geological assessment
- Analysis of cantonal suitability maps
- Check on groundwater protection and permit feasibility
- Probe depth as sized by the specialist planner
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02
Site setup
- Arrival with our own heavy-duty transport
- Positioning of the drilling rig
- Even in the tightest spaces — our compact rigs fit through every access
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03
Drilling
- Direct flushing method with air-water rotary, or
- Rotary drilling with bentonite flushing
- Method depending on hydrogeological requirements
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04
Probe installation
- Borehole probe with weighted foot lowered into the hole
- Direct connection to grouting
- Pressure test after installation · documented
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05
Grouting
- Grouting from bottom to top
- Certified thermally conductive mix
- Durable thermal contact to SIA 384/6
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06
Connection & handover
- Horizontal connection pipes to the manifold
- Optional: thermal response test
- Documentation and handover to the heating engineer
How long does a BHE take?
- Geology & planning1–2 weeks
- Permit2–4 weeks
- Site setup1 day
- Drilling per probe1–3 days
- Probe & grouting1 day
- Connection & handover2–5 days
The drilling itself takes days — the permit dominates the schedule. Total from building application to completed system: 2–4 months (varies by canton, excluding upstream planning and preliminary clarification).
Project structure plan
Borehole heat exchanger system
Pre-assessment
Check GeoHP maps
Protection zones & groundwater
Heating load calculation
Planning & sizing
SIA 384/6 calculation
Probe-field layout
Material and method selection
Fixed-price quotation
Permit
Drilling notice / building application
Cantonal dossier
Submission & support
Site setup
Heavy-haul transport
Positioning the rig
Safety setup
Drilling
Flushing / rotary drilling
Borehole log
Survey & documentation
Probe & grouting
Probe installation with weighted foot
Bentonite grouting
Pressure test before & after
Connection & handover
Horizontal line to manifold
Response test (optional)
Handover to heating engineer
SIA-compliant documentation
Lifecycle
Planning
Permit
Drilling
Connection
Operation · up to 80 years
Approval
Notice · application · permit
Execution to conditions
Cost
Cost estimate
Fixed-price quotation
Final accounting
Warranty service
Risk
Geology check · GeoHP
Performance & pressure testing
SIA warranty
Project management
Coordination · leadership · organisation · control · scheduling · documentation — one contact across all phases
Structure plan for a typical Broder AG borehole heat exchanger project. Schematic — actual phase durations depend on project size, geology and the cantonal permit process.
The tool changes with the layer — three bits from our workshop:
Technical standards
- Probe type
- Double-U probe · 2 circuits per borehole · certified DACH manufacturers (Jansen, HakaGerodur, algeo and others)
- Probe material
- PE 100 RC · cross-linked · diffusion-tight · service life ≥ 50 years (SIA 384/6), material rated up to 100 years
- Pressure class
- from PN 16 / SDR 11 up to PN 50
- Probe diameter
- Ø 32 / 40 mm · wall thickness 2.9 / 3.7 mm
- Drilling depth
- 50 – 500 m · project-dependent · SIA-compliant
- Extraction capacity
- rule of thumb 32 W/m (15–45 W/m)
- Grouting
- Bentonite cement to SIA 384/6 F.3 · thermal conductivity 0.8 – 2.0 W/(m·K)
- Permeability
- k ≤ 1 × 10⁻⁷ m/s (borehole · grouting · pipe)
- Heat-transfer fluid
- Water or brine (water-glycol 20 – 30 %)
- Connection pipes
- PE 100 RC · Ø 32–63 mm depending on the system · horizontal to manifold · pressure-tested
- Standard
- SIA 384/6 (2021) · cantonal requirements · FWS compliance
- Pressure test
- After probe installation · documented · handover record
Fleet · drilling rigs & vehicles
Our fleet.
From Sargans.
Drilling rigs from established manufacturers in Germany and Italy — and four in-house designs from the Sargans workshop. This in-house engineering competence on Aebi and Unimog platforms is our central differentiator.
Nordmeyer Technologies · Salzgitter, DE
For over 90 years a leader in the construction of drilling rigs for geothermal energy, well drilling and geotechnics. Several machines in our fleet — from the compact crawler drilling rig to the fully hydraulic universal system.
Nordmeyer GeoVario 10
Compact rotary drilling rig on crawler tracks. Exactly the right machine for tight spaces — single-family homes, infill drilling, courtyards.
- Type
- Rotary drilling rig (dry rotary + flushing)
- Undercarriage
- Crawler · self-propelled
- Operating weight
- approx. 13 t
- Transport dimensions
- 6.0 × 2.10 m (L × W)
Nordmeyer GeoVario 18
Higher-performance variant with centrifugal pump — for deep probes and difficult geological conditions. Container and lift system from factory.
- Type
- Rotary drilling rig with centrifugal pump
- Undercarriage
- Crawler · container + lift system
- Engine power
- 168 / 205 kW
- Torque
- 36 kNm
- Pull-back force
- 140 / 180 kN
- Operating weight
- 19 – 21 t (GeoV 1 / GeoV 2)
- Transport dimensions
- 9.61 × 2.50 × 3.20 m (L × W × H)
Nordmeyer DSB 2/10
Fully hydraulic universal rig. Since 1973 with worldwide patented round drilling mast and integrated hydraulic feed. The workhorse for special foundation engineering.
- Type
- Fully hydraulic rotary drilling rig (DSB)
- Drilling mast
- 9'200 mm · hydraulic stroke 6'800 mm · round mast (Nordmeyer patent)
- Hook load
- max. 120 kN
- Feed
- Pull 10'000 daN · push max. 3'500 daN
- Rotary head KSP-7.10
- Torque 105 / 650 / 230 daNm · 0–85 / 0–120 / 0–320 rpm
NCB International · Torre di Mosto, IT
Italian specialists for micropile, anchor and foundation drilling — successor to the traditional Brunello company. Several machines in our fleet, all on crawler tracks with a double rotary-head system.
NCB FD 2400 S-DT
Crawler-mounted hydraulic drilling rig in the upper power class. Double rotary-head system (S-DT) — highest production performance in our fleet. Two identical machines stationed in Sargans.
- Type
- Crawler-mounted hydraulic drilling rig (FD series)
- Engine power
- Diesel · ≥ 190 kW (DEUTZ class)
- Rotary-head system
- Double rotary head (S-DT) · synchronous or counter-rotating
- Pull-down (push)
- typ. 24'000 kgf
- Pull-up (pull)
- typ. 24'000 kgf
- Auxiliary crane
- Integrated · for pipe handling
NCB FD 1800 HD-DT
Crawler-mounted geothermal drilling rig with integrated hydraulic unit. Compact, precise, for limited space.
- Engine
- DEUTZ TCD 2013 L6 2V · 190 kW at 2'300 rpm
- Total weight
- approx. 20 t
- Drilling mast
- 8'000 mm · feed 4'300 mm
- Rotary head T3-2000
- 2'045 kgm · 0–113 rpm
- Pull-down (push / pull)
- 13'000 / 20'000 kgf
- Max. pipe diameter
- Ø 350 mm · auxiliary crane Fassi F.80
In-house developments · Sargans workshop
Four drilling rigs developed entirely in Sargans — based on Aebi and Unimog carrier vehicles. Our in-house competence is a unique selling point and the heart of the engineering and machine-construction business field.
Aebi TP 98E
Hillside-capable transporter with mounted drilling mast — for steep locations and sensitive terrain.
- Carrier vehicle
- Aebi TP 98E
- Build
- In-house Broder AG
- Specialty
- Steep slopes · mountain areas
Aebi TP 67
Compact sister machine — smaller footprint, same agility in difficult terrain.
- Carrier vehicle
- Aebi TP 67
- Build
- In-house Broder AG
- Specialty
- Narrow accesses · SFH · slopes
Unimog U500L
The Broder signature: Unimog chassis with in-house designed drilling mast. Road-capable and self-sufficient.
- Carrier vehicle
- Mercedes-Benz Unimog U500L
- Build
- In-house Broder AG
- Specialty
- Road-legal · self-sufficient · fast on site
Unimog U2450
High-performance variant of the Unimog platform — higher production performance for demanding boreholes.
- Carrier vehicle
- Mercedes-Benz Unimog U2450
- Build
- In-house Broder AG
- Specialty
- Multi-family homes · urban terrain · rapid mobilisation
Every rig is run-in, maintained and rebuilt as needed in Sargans. Supported by trucks (9–12 m · up to 36 t), compressors, skip suppliers (Welaki), vacuum trucks (14 m³) and the Obermann pump VS 110-1-G/D — Q-max 170 l/min, P-max 100 bar, drive 24 kW.
Vehicles & equipment
A vehicle for
every terrain.
From the heavy-haul Renault to the Aebi transporter with drilling mast. We get to where others can't — with the right equipment in tow.
Materials & manufacturers
Who we work with.
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Jansen
Swiss manufacturer from Oberriet · PE 100 RC · double-U probes up to 400 m · our standard supplier for CH projects.
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HakaGerodur
Swiss brand · cross-linked PE 100 RC · specialised in crack-stop resistant geothermal pipes · for special depths.
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Brugg Pipes
Pre-insulated PE-X composite pipes · for horizontal connections over long distances · lower heat loss.
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algeo
Swiss geothermal specialist · probes & drilling technology · own developments: diffusion-tight probes, depths down to 1'000 m.
Product certifications
Tested. Certified. Documented.
Every borehole, every probe, every grouting complies with the relevant Swiss and European standards. The most important certificates and standards we work to.
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SIA
SIA 384/6
Swiss standard for borehole heat exchangers. Sizing, execution and operation to the current edition.
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FWS
FWS quality seal for borehole heat exchangers
Award from the Swiss Heat Pump Association recognising quality and care in drilling operations.
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PE 100 RC
Probe material PE 100 RC
Diffusion-tight, cross-linked polyethylene — at least 50 years service life per SIA 384/6, material certified by the manufacturer for up to 100 years.
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SVGW
Groundwater protection
Procedures and grouting to SVGW and cantonal groundwater-protection requirements. Seamless borehole documentation.
Our warranty promise
What you can rely on.
We build systems that outlive us — and we stand behind them accordingly. Three promises that have accompanied every handover since 1961.
SIA-compliant & documented
Every borehole is surveyed, every pressure test recorded. Borehole documentation, grouting record, handover report — all archived.
One single contact
From permit to commissioning you stay with one person. Sargans, personal, no call centre — reachable on site.
Generational warranty
On probe and grouting we give the SIA-compliant warranties — designed for at least 50 years per SIA 384/6, the PE 100 RC material for up to 100 years. The heat pump can be replaced, the probe stays.