July 10, 2010
Using Ground Source Heat Pumps for Heating
Ground source heat pumps give a rather low-priced and eco friendly way to use waste heat from the ground for heating and cooling both residential and commercial structures. Starting set-up prices can be considerably higher than regular air-source systems, but geothermal heat pumps deliver extensively decrease ownership costs over the long term. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are solutions that work with the earth?s temperature to deliver heating, cooling and hot water for commercial establishments and housing establishments. The systems are fashioned to take advantage of the fact that temperatures stay at a close to constant level of amongst 7 C and 21 C just a few feet underneath the ground, regardless of geographic location or surface air temperatures. During winter, the devices essentially draw out heat from the ground and transfer it to a commercial building or residence, whilst in summer the systems draw out heat from building interiors and shift it to the ground. Ground source heat pumps are electrically driven and are occasionally referred to as geothermal heat pumps, or geo-exchange pumps, or just as earth-coupled heat pumps. A full-fledged GSHP system is composed of a heat pump, a ground loop system for taking in heat from the ground or rejecting it back to the ground, and air ducts or radiant floor systems for providing the hot or cold air. The ground loop system normally consists of several loops of plastic tubing loaded with antifreeze liquid or water, hidden under the ground in horizontal or vertical style. Throughout winter, the liquid in the loops gathers heat from the earth and shoves it to the heat pump when a compressor raises the temperature even more before circulating it through the building. The flow of the liquid inside the loops is reversed during summer. This results in the warmer air being taken out from the building and transferred to the ground while cooler liquid is distributed back to the heat pump and then through the building. An open loop system functions in about the same way, but in this case the liquid in the loops is usually ejected into the ground. Ground source heat pumps have been in use since the 1940s and are thought to be a more eco-friendly and cost-efficient substitute to regular air-transfer based heating and cooling systems. Reports have demonstrated that GSHP systems have heating efficiencies up to 70% higher than conventional systems and cooling efficiencies of nearly 40% above than air-conditioners. The primary cost of setting up a geothermal heat pump can be quite high compared to conventional heating and cooling systems. Even so, over the long-term the pumps are inexpensive to own and to maintain. They also can deliver up to 50% savings on energy usage. In most cases, a geothermal heat pump is set up along with an air-source heat pump so as to reduce initial installation costs. Find out more information and facts about Ground Source Heat Pumps
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