Geo-thermal HVAC Unit: Are They Affordable?
Written by John Mccleve Monday, 12 December 2011 09:14
What's a geo-thermal hvac unit?
Wikipedia describes them, "geothermal heat pump, ground
source heat pump (GSHP), or ground heat pump as a central
heating and/or cooling unit that pumps heat to or from
the ground".
It involves the use of the earth as a heat source in winter or a heat
sink in the summertime. This design takes advantage of the
moderate temperatures in the ground to lift efficiency and
scale back the operational costs of cooling and heating
units.
Ground source heat pumps have two potency ratings. The
cooling rating is known as the EER. This is the cooling
effect of the system divided by the electrial imput needed to
run the system. The heating efficiency is known as the COP,
which is the heating effect of the system divided by the
electricity it takes to run it.
There are three main types of systems. Central heat only hot
water only or cooling and heating systems . The majority are heating
and cooling but in chillier climates lots of heat only are
used. But lots of them have the facility to provide free
passive air-conditioning.
Does Geothermal Economize?
The United States EPA claims these units are the most cost
effective systems available. They cost more to install but
are low maintenance and have fewer repairs.
The time that it takes to get the installation costs paid for
depends on the climate you have domestically but for most
folk it is fairly short.
The basic geo-thermal hvac unit is made up of three parts.
1. Loop System
The two main types are open and closed loop units. The
main difference is the open loop dumps the water and
continously pumps fresh water in. The closed loop unit
continously recycles the same water.
2 Heat Pump
The heat pump works much like a regular air source pump but
their heating and/or cooling don't change as much as the
ground temperature is more constant.
3 Duct Unit
The duct unit is close to the same as the regular channel
system but is usually larger.
There are also do-it-yourself kits now but I reccomend that
you cantact your local hvac company and have them go into
detail about them and then you can make an informed
decision on whether to do it yourself or not.
About the Author:
John Mccleve is an expert hvac contractor and has some great articles on his internet site to help learn more about geothermal heating and cooling systems.
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