The term geothermal means Earth / Ground Heat. How does geothermal heat pump work? Geothermal, or ground source heat pumps, take advantage of the continual ground or groundwater temperatures. These heat pumps use geothermal energy to heat and / or cool your home.
A refrigerant loop with a compressor extracts heat from one side ( the ground ) and pumps it to the heating loop in your house. It is basically the same process that happens in your chiller : heat is extracted via a compressor and refrigerant loop from the interior of your chiller / fridge and denied into your house.
Explain geothermal heat pumps advantages. These heat pumps will heat your house as efficiently on a windy, zero-degree winter day as on a 40-degree day.
Geothermal heat pumps are also a particularly efficient way for heating and cooling your house. They use 25-50% less energy than conventional heating and cooling systems ( Source : US DOE ).
Residential applications of geothermal energy systems use water-to-water or water-to-air heat pumps.
Water-to-water geothermal heat pumps are often used for heating only. They replace the gas or oil furnace that you could now have to heat your home and water with.
It is important to know that heat pumps work most effectively when the temperature difference between the heat source ( ground ) and heat sink ( floor heat or radiators ) is small.
This implies that geothermal heat pumps are generally not acceptable for standard hot water baseboard applications, which are made for heating water temperatures of 180 degF. Floor heat and low-temperature radiators require water temperatures in the range of 95 to 140 degF.
Some newer heat pump models are now supplied with so-called desuperheaters that may transfer excess heat from the geothermal heat pump compressor to the domestic water heater. Your geothermal heat pump can also swiftly and effectively heat water for your bath, shower and sinks.
Water-To-Air Geothermal Heat Pumps
These sorts of ground source heat pumps are often used when you want air conditioning. The Water is the heat sink, where you reject the heat from the house.
Otherwise, these heat pumps function the same way as water-to-water heat pumps. And again, the efficiency of a geothermal heating and cooling system is far better of a traditional system.
Important To Know
The first step towards making a geothermal heat pump system be a trustworthy and efficient heating ( and cooling ) system for your house is to attenuate the heating and cooling requirements with a well-insulated building envelope and strategically placed windows for passive solar gain.
Not only is your first cost reduced, because your system will be smaller. You will also tremendously increase the comfort of your house.
How does geothermal heat pump work properly:
Geothermal heat pump systems are best designed and installed by professionals. It is not recommended to DIY. These systems must meet specific needs. Especially the piping laid out in the ground, or down to the ground water table, must be designed and installed properly to ensure that your geothermal heat pump system works as intended.
Posted by jackiecastro55
at 8:00 AM EDT
