Ground Source Heat Pumps

What is a ground source heat pump?
Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are electrically powered systems that tap the stored energy of the greatest solar collector in existence: the earth. These systems use the earth's relatively constant temperature to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes and commercial buildings.

How do ground source heat pumps work?
Ground source heat pumps can be categorized as having closed or open loops, and those loops can be installed in three ways: horizontally, vertically, or in a pond/lake. The type chosen depends on the available land areas and the soil and rock type at the installation site. These factors will help determine the most economical choice for installation of the ground loop.
For closed loop systems, water or antifreeze solution is circulated through plastic pipes buried beneath the earth's surface. During the winter, the fluid collects heat from the earth and carries it through the system and into the building. During the summer, the system reverses itself to cool the building by pulling heat from the building, carrying it through the system and placing it in the ground. This process creates free hot water in the summer and delivers substantial hot water savings in the winter.

GSHPs are a cost effective, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly way of heating and cooling buildings. Both the DOE and the EPA have endorsed the technology. GSHPs reliably deliver quality air-conditioning and heating, on demand, in every season. GSHPs are appropriate for new construction as well as retrofits of older buildings. Their flexible design requirements make them a good choice for schools, high-rises, government buildings, apartments, and restaurants--almost any commercial property. Lower operating and maintenance costs, durability, and energy conservation make Ground Source Heat Pumps the smart choice for commercial applications.

Ground Source Heat Pumps offer great benefits:
 Simultaneously heat & cool different parts of the same building
 Very quiet--users do not know when the system is operating
 Can be set up in multiple zones, with each zone having an individual room control
 Greater freedoms in building design due to 50-80% less mechanical room space
 No outside equipment to hide, eliminating vandalism and roof top units
 Pipes have 50-year life expectancy
 All electric, which eliminates multiple utility services
 Expel boiler and chiller maintenance
 Ground heat exchanger is maintenance free and will last 40+ years
GSHPs offer great savings:
 Very competitive on initial costs and lower lifecycle costs than most HVAC systems.
 Savings of 25-50% on energy consumption in new construction
 Lower peak demand, lowering your operating costs
 Water heated with waste heat from air conditioning at no cost in the summer and at substantial savings in the winter
 Some utilities offer rebates or incentives to their customers who purchase GSHPs.

The above information was derived from the IGSHPA (International Ground Source Heat Pump Association). In the next few weeks we will discuss the different methods of GSHP and a few examples of Hybrid systems (combining GSHP with other mechanical systems). For additional information regarding GSHPs please contact Energy 1.