The objective of the current study was to assess the technical and economic factors that influence the design and performance of vertical GSHP (ground source heat pump) systems and to evaluate the spatial correlation that these factors have with geographic components such as geology and climatic conditions. The data from more than 1100 individual GSHP systems were analysed. The average capital cost of one GSHP system is about 23,500 (sic) +/- 6800 (sic); the large standard deviation is primarily caused by local market dynamics. In comparison to other countries such as USA, Austria, Norway, UK and Sweden, the highest capital costs for vertical GSHP systems are in Germany and Switzerland, which is almost certainly partly due to economies of scale. Although geological, hydrogeological and thermal conditions in the studied state considerably vary spatially and the evaluated specific heat extraction rates are heterogeneously distributed, no correlation between the subsurface characteristics and the design of GSHP systems could be identified. This outcome suggests that as yet subsurface characteristics are not adequately considered during the planning and design of small-scale GSHP systems, which causes an under-or oversizing and therefore a long-term impact on the maintenance costs and payback time of such systems. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.