Geothermal heating or using a portable heaters has become a popular choice for homeowners looking for effective and affordable heating air condition. Unless you’re an HVAC professional, chances are you have numerous questions about ground heating and the benefits it has to offer. Well, you are in luck as in this beginners guide, you will learn the basics, and get informed on whether it’s the right option for your home.
Ground heat pumps utilize buried pipes to extract heat from the ground. The heat is then used to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems, indoor air, and even hot water in your house. A ground heat pump moves a combination of water and antifreeze through a pipe loop known as a ground loop. The loop is buried in the yard, where it absorbs the ambient heat still present in the soil. The ground is good at retaining heat, making these pumps usable even in the coldest winter season.
The Advantages of Ground Source Heat Pumps
Geothermal heat pumps have a multitude of benefits including:
-Low carbon emission
-No fuel delivery is required
-Higher efficiency, which leads to lower heating bills
-Little maintenance
However, they have their downsides as well. Unlike their gas counterparts, ground source heat pumps (GSHP) produce heat at lower temperatures over an extended period. This means that during the colder seasons, they may have to be on all throughout to produce enough heat to keep your interior warm and comfortable. Also, you’ll notice that radiators don’t get as hot as they do when heated with gas.
Also, GSHPs are harder to install compared to their gas counterparts. That’s because GSHps need trenches and drilling for installation. Even so, they make up by being more efficient. If you like near a water body like a lake or stream, water source heat pumps can be a feasible and more efficient alternative.
How do Geothermal Heat Pumps Operate?
The loops of the piping buried underground absorb small heat amounts from the soil. The liquid then transfers the heat with it as it’s pumped into a compressor which then releases the contained heat via compression. This heat is then used to provide hot water for the rest of the home. Now at a lower temperature, the ground-loop liquid hoes back to the ground where the process starts all over.
The loop is usually installed in trenches around 6-ft deep, but if you don’t have enough space in your property, you can opt for the vertical loop down to a depth of 300 ft for the average house.
Keep in mind that ground source heat pumps need some electricity to work, but they greatly reduce your carbon footprint as they extract heat from the ground and the water is constantly renewed via a natural thermal process.
Is a Geothermal Heat Pump Ideal for Your Home?
To decide whether a GSHP is ideal for your property, there are a few questions to ask:
-Can your yard support a ground loop? It does not necessarily have to be large, but it will have to be accessible to digging equipment.
-Is your house well insulated? Given ground source heat pumps work optimally when producing heat at lower temps, they are best suited for homes that are well insulated and have lower heat demands.
-What kind of heating system will you utilize? Given GSHPs work better with lower water temperature compared to radiators, the pumps are better paired with underfloor heating systems.
-Is it part of a new development? When you combine the installation with other projects in your house, you can enjoy a reduced overall cost of installing the ground source heating pump system.
With these tips, you should be able to make an informed decision when it comes to heating your house.
