When the ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) system is utilized for air conditioning in cooling load dominated buildings, the heat rejected into ground will accumulate around the ground heat exchangers (GHE) and results in system performance degradation. A novel hybrid ground coupled heat pump (HGCHP) system with nocturnal cooling radiator (NCR) works as supplemental heat rejecter is proposed in this paper to resolve this problem. The practical analytical model of NCR and novel HGCHP system are established. The computer program based on established model is developed to simulate the system operation performance. The novel HGCHP system is designed and simulated for a sample building located in Hong Kong, and a simple life cycle cost comparisons are carried out between this system and conventional GCHP system. The results indicate that it is feasible to use NCR serves as supplemental heat rejecter of the novel HGCHP system for cooling load dominated buildings even those located in humid subtropical climate areas. This novel HGCHP system provides a new valuable choice for air conditioning in cooling load dominated buildings, and it is especially suitable for buildings with limited surface land areas. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.