NATURAL springs could provide alternative sources of heating for homes and businesses.

Mr Peter Woods is using the energy from a spring to heat his house at Rosedale Intake, Danby, and he has invited North York Moors national park officials to see how successfully the system is working.

With so many houses in the park built close to springs and streams, he believes many others could benefit from the same water-powered heat pumps.

He first came across the pumps in Canada 20 years ago where a 100m-long, multi-storey building was found to have a huge lake 60ft below its cellars.

A borehole was sunk at either end of the building and in winter water was drawn up one borehole, through a heat pump in the middle of the building, returning cold down the other borehole back to the lake.

In winter, the system heated the entire building. In summer, it was reversed, to power air conditioning.

"North America is years ahead of us," said Mr Woods. "People were starting to think about this type of thing here 25 years ago, then the oil price collapsed and nothing happened."

Mr Woods has a natural spring in a field a few hundred yards from his house. It runs across the bottom of his garden and helps feed a wildlife pond in an adjoining field.

He has now tapped into the supply and loops some of the water to a heat pump in the house where the energy goes into the central heating.

For each kilowatt of electrical energy used, nearly four kw of heat energy can be obtained. Inside the house, the water registered 7C and the central heating 31C.

Mr John Cantor, a specialist who usually supplies heat pumps for swimming pools, installed the equipment at Mr Woods' home.

A ground-based heat pump can be equally efficient if there is no nearby spring. Water is directed through an area of underground pipes and the same effect is achieved.

Such pumps also reduce the use of fossil fuels and so help the environment.

"The biggest battle of all is convincing individuals in this country that they can do something to combat global warming," he said.

To find out more, contact Mr Woods on 01287 660602