Geothermal heat pump
A heat pump moves heat from one place to another. This can come in very handy in say your home in the summer. In the summer, a geothermal heat pump in a cooling mode lowers indoor temperatures by transferring heat from inside a building to the outside ground. This is a great thing, and it sounds an awful lot like air conditioning. However, unlike an air conditioner, a geothermal heat pump's process can be reversed. Thus, in the winter, a geothermal heat pump extracts heat from the ground and transfers it inside. This means that instead of needing two systems for your heating and cooling needs, you only need one!
Let's take a look at some of the other benefits of a geothermal heat pump as there are many:
• A geothermal heat pump can use waste heat from summer air-conditioning to provide virtually free hot-water heating, instead of having the heat transferred to the ground outside, you can have it transferred to your water source. The energy value of the heat moved is typically more than three times the electricity used in the transfer process.
• Geothermal heat pumps are efficient and require no backup heat because the earth stays at a relatively moderate temperature throughout the year, thus they are incredibly reliable.
• While a residential geothermal heat pump system is more expensive to install than a conventional heating system. It is most cost effective when operated year-round for both heating and cooling. In such cases, the payback period can be as short as 3-5 years.
• Geothermal heat pumps operate in all climates, but are more cost effective in areas that require cooling and that need a significant amount of space or water heating. So, if you have a large home, or you use more than a typical amount of hot water, a geothermal heat pump could be very cost effective for you.
• In addition to energy savings, there are other benefits, such as reduced heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning maintenance costs and the opportunity to eliminate conventional systems.
• One of the often overlooked benefits of a geothermal heat pump is the low noise, and low maintenance.
• Many utility companies offer special rates to customers with geothermal heat pump systems.
So, how does the geothermal heat pump work? There are two main types of geothermal heat pump systems: open-loop, or closed-loop. Regardless of which you purchase, a geothermal heat pump system has three major components: a ground loop (buried piping system), the heat pump itself (inside the house), and a heating and cooling distribution system. The earth-coupled (or closed-loop) geothermal heat pump uses sealed horizontal or vertical pipes as heat exchangers through which water, or water and antifreeze, transfer heat to or from the ground. The water-source (or open-loop) geothermal heat pump, pumps water from a well or other water source to the heat exchanger, then back to the source. To be cost effective it is best when a ground-loop piping system is installed while a building is under construction, and when using an open-loop system or closed loops in ponds or lakes. It is not impossible to install a geothermal heat pump after construction, but it is not economical.
Not every state allows for geothermal heat pumps as in some cases they do not pass emissions requirements etc. However, if possible, installing a geothermal heat pump is a great way to heat and cool your home and water as well as conserve energy, save money, and become independent in your heating and cooling needs. So, ask your contractor or sub contractors whether or not adding a geothermal heat pump to your home is a viable option.
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Tags: geothermal_heating_pumps pumps heating geothermic energy
