The Many Advantages Of Geothermal Heat Pumps

October 11th, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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A geothermal heat pump is one of the most energy efficient residential heating and cooling systems available.  Geothermal heat pumps are similar to air source heat pumps, but they rely on the earth as a source of heat in the winter and to dump heat in the summer.   Since the earth’s temperature remains at a relatively constant temperature between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit just a few feet below ground, a geothermal heat pump is more efficient that an air source heat pump that can lose heating efficiency as temperatures drop below freezing.

Although their primary advantage is their high energy efficiency, there are plenty of other reasons to install a geothermal heat pump.  One reason is their durability.  Unlike air source heat pumps and traditional furnaces that have a service life of around 10 years, a geothermal heat pump should provide energy efficient heating and cooling for more than 20 years.

In addition to heating and cooling your home, many models of geothermal heat pumps also provide energy efficient water heating.  Also, geothermal heat pumps do not have a noisy outdoor compressor/condenser unit like a central air conditioner or air source heat pump.  The outdoor heat exchanger is a series of pipes buried underground.

Geothermal heat pumps are quiet indoors too.  The inside unit makes about the same amount of noise as a refrigerator so it is hardly noticeable.  Due to the way geothermal heat pumps operate, the heating and cooling results in more consistent, even temperatures that increases indoor comfort.

The main reason geothermal heat pumps are not more popular is that the cost of the initial installation is significant.  However, the 30% federal tax credit for Energy Star rated geothermal heat pumps helps reduce the out of pocket expense and the energy costs savings should pay for the unit in less than ten years.

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Disadvantages of Heat Pumps

September 21st, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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Heat pumps are quickly becoming the residential heating and cooling system of choice for many homeowners due to their excellent efficiency and low cost of operation.  However, before you commit to the cost of a new heat pump system, be sure that a heat pump is right for you and your family.  Energy efficiency should not be the only criteria for choosing a home heating system and heat pumps have a few drawbacks that make them less appealing for some homeowners.

First, heat pumps are not very effective heating systems when temperatures drop below freezing.  If you live in a climate that regularly sees extended periods with temperatures below freezing, consider combining a heat pump with another heating source such as a traditional furnace.

Next, the warm air coming from your vents will not feel as warm as what you may be used to with a furnace.  Heat pumps are designed to run for longer periods of time while delivering warm air rather than delivering hot air for shorter periods of time like a traditional furnace.  Once you get used to the slightly cooler temperature of the warm air blowing from your registers, you will appreciate that this is actually a plus for heat pumps, not a negative.  With a heat pump, the temperature in your home will remain more constant and will not fluctuate as much as it does with a furnace.

Finally, some homeowners are concerned that since a heat pump handles both the heating and cooling function, it runs throughout the year and may wear out sooner than a traditional furnace.  There may be some truth to this notion, but a good quality, well maintained heat pump can be expected to give good service for about 15 to 20 years.  By the time the heat pump wears out, advancements in energy efficiency will probably warrant replacing the system in any event.

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Heat Pumps In Colder Climates

September 21st, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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As the weather begins to cool off, many homeowners are taking the opportunity to reduce their energy bills this winter by replacing their existing residential heating systems with a new energy efficient heat pump.  The efficiency of a heat pump stems from the fact that instead of creating heat from electricity or by burning fuel, a heat pump moves heat from outside your home to inside your home.

It may sound counter-intuitive, but a heat pump can extract heat from outdoor air temperatures that are below freezing and use that heat to warm your home.  The biggest concern about heat pumps is that the colder the outdoor air temperature, the harder the heat pump has to work to maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home.  As temperatures drop below freezing, a heat pump can struggle to keep up with the demand for warm air.

Heat pumps can be equipped with supplemental electric heating to provide a heating boos in very cold weather, but these electric heating strips use a lot of electricity.  The heat pump loses its cost saving advantage if the supplemental electric heating strips are called into action too often.  For this reason, heat pumps used for the sole heating source make the most sense in climates where the temperature only occasionally drops below freezing, but heat pumps can still serve an important role in colder climates.

Many homeowners in colder climates combine a heat pump with a traditional furnace.  The heat pump is used for home heating in milder weather and operates as a central air conditioner in the summer months.  When temperatures drop below freezing, the home heating role is handed off to the traditional furnace.  These systems maximize the efficiency of a heat pump without sacrificing cold weather comfort.

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How Does A Heat Pump Work?

August 29th, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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If it’s time to replace your furnace and central air conditioning system or if you are building a new home, consider installing an energy efficient heat pump.  Whether you choose an air source or ground source heat pump, you will enjoy years of energy efficient heating and cooling without sacrificing comfort.

A heat pump works just like a central air conditioning system in the summer.  It uses refrigerant to absorb indoor heat and move it outside your home.  A refrigerator works using the same principles.  Refrigerant is used to absorb heat inside the refrigerator and release the heat outside the refrigerator box leaving the inside of the refrigerator nice and cold.

Refrigerators and air conditioners are types of heat pumps that work in a single direction.  A heat pump used for home heating and cooling works in two directions.  The energy efficiency advantage of a heat pump comes into play in the winter months when the heat pump is used for heating.  The refrigerant flow is reversed and the refrigerant absorbs heat from outdoors and releases it inside the home.

A heat pump can extract heat from the outside air even in below freezing temperatures.  However, an air source heat pump’s efficiency declines as the outdoor temperatures decrease.  This is less of a problem for a ground source heat pump since the temperatures below ground remain relatively stable year round.

When operating in heating mode, a heat pump is far more efficient than an electric resistance type heater because it moves heat instead of creating heat.  It takes much more electricity to create heat than it does to move it using a heat pump.

Heat pumps are usually less expensive to operate than natural gas, propane, or oil fired home heating systems.  The cost savings with a heat pump depends on the cost of the fuel but the savings is usually significant.

 

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Choosing the Right Type of Heat Pump For Your Home

August 29th, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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Heat pumps are the most efficient electric heating and cooling systems available today.   They are two to three times more efficient than a resistance-type heating system that uses electric coils to provide heat.  Due to their high efficiency, they are also usually more cost effective than heating systems that use gas or heating oil to create heat.

There are different types of heat pumps and choosing the right heat pump for your home involves consideration of many different factors.  Heat pumps can be divided into two main categories:  air source and ground source heat pumps.

An air source heat pump is similar to a traditional central air conditioning unit.  It operates just like an air conditioner in the summer by moving warm air from inside your home to outside your home.  In the winter, the cycle is reversed and the heat pump extracts warmth from the outside air and moves it into your home.

The heating efficiency of an air source heat pump decreases as the outdoor air temperature gets colder so they are most suitable for areas where temperatures do not stay below freezing for an extended period of time.

A ground source heat pump uses the relatively stable temperature of the ground to extract heat in the winter and to dump heat in the summer.  Instead of an above ground outdoor unit with a fan and an evaporator/condenser found on air source heat pumps, a ground source heat pump uses a series of pipes buried below ground to transfer heat.  Since low outdoor air temperatures have minimal effect on ground source heat pumps, they can be used in colder climates than air source heat pumps.

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Ground Source Heat Pump Basic Information

August 29th, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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A ground source heat pump is one of the most energy efficient ways to heat and cool a home.  Heat pumps work by moving warm air from one location to another.  In the summer, they move heat from inside your home to the outside.  In the winter, the process is reversed. The most common type of heat pump used in residential applications is an air source heat pump that is similar to a central air conditioning unit.

Air source heat pumps are an excellent choice for energy efficient heating and cooling in moderate climates, but their efficiency is affected by changes in outdoor air temperatures.  They lose heating efficiency when temperatures drop below freezing and cannot cool as well in high temperatures.

A ground source heat pump is even more efficient than an air source heat pump and since underground temperatures remain relatively stable year round, a ground source heat pump is not affected by large changes in the outdoor air temperature.

In a closed loop system, a ground source heat pump uses a coolant pumped through a series of pipes buried underground to extract heat from the ground in the winter and to dump heat in the summer.  An open loop system uses ground water, lake water, or well water for heating and cooling.  Open loop systems can be problematic because they need a way to dispose of used water.  They can also be affected by changes in the local water table.

Ground source heat pumps can be twice as efficient as air source heat pumps, but the initial installation cost is usually much higher.  Ground source heat pumps are very quiet and need less maintenance than air source heat pumps.  They also last longer, particularly the underground pipe system which can last for decades.

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Basic Information About Heat Pumps

August 29th, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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More and more homeowners are turning to heat pumps for energy efficient home heating and cooling.  For many homes, a heat pump is an excellent choice that can minimize your heating and cooling costs without sacrificing comfort.

There are two basic types of heat pumps:  ground source and air source.  An air source heat pump is similar to a central air conditioning system that can operate in reverse in the winter.  In the winter, it uses outside air as a heat source in the winter and as a place to dump heat in the summer.

A ground source heat pump uses the earth as a wintertime heat source and a summer time heat sink.  Closed loop ground source heat pumps have a closed loop of pipes buried underground that circulate a refrigerant.  Open loop heat pumps use well water or water from a lake, river, or other source for heating and cooling.

Air source heat pumps are the most common type and are also less expensive to install than a ground source heat pump.  However, they need more maintenance and have a shorter lifespan, particularly the outdoor unit.  An air source heat pump lasts about as long as a central air conditioner – 10 to 15 years.  A ground source heat pump generally lasts longer, especially the pipes that are buried underground.

An air source heat pump loses efficiency as outdoor air temperatures drop.  In below freezing conditions, an auxiliary heating element may be needed to maintain the desired temperatures.  In areas that experience extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures, a dual fuel system can be installed. These systems use the heat pump for heating in the Spring and Fall but rely on a natural gas, propane, or oil for heating in very cold temperatures.

 

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Geothermal Heat Pumps – A Great Choice For Cooler Climates

June 21st, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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A heat pump is an energy efficient way to heat and cool most homes.  Heat pumps work by moving warm air out of the home during the summer months and into the home in the winter.  Since a heat pump moves heat instead of creating heat, it is much more energy efficient than other types of heating and cooling systems.

More and more homeowners are switching to reliable heat pumps for heating and cooling their homes.  More than 10 percent of homes nationwide rely on energy efficient heat pump systems.  Air source heat pumps are the most common type, but they are not popular in colder climates because their efficiency suffers when outside air temperatures fall below freezing.

Fortunately, geothermal heat pumps (also called ground source heat pumps) work well in colder climates because they depend on a system of pipes buried below ground to transfer heat.  Not only are geothermal heat pumps unaffected by changes in outdoor air temperatures, but they are also the most efficient type of heat pump marketed for residential use.  According to the Department of Energy, switching to a geothermal heat pump can save a homeowner up to 60 percent on home heating and cooling costs.

In addition geothermal heat pumps can be combined with a desuperheater to heat water as well as provide home heating and cooling which results in additional energy savings.  Geothermal heat pumps have a higher initial cost than many other types of heating and cooling systems, but they are very durable and the savings on your energy bill can pay for the cost of the system in a few years.

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Innovations in Heat Pump Technology

June 21st, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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Heat pump technology has been around for more than 50 years, but only recently has the rise in energy costs and concerns about energy conservation led to the development of reliable, energy efficient heat pumps designed for residential heating and coooling.  Heat pumps initially marketed for residential use relied largely on compressors and other components designed for use in air conditioners.  These parts were not up to the task of meeting the heavier demands place on them by a heat pump.

Since then, heavier duty components designed specifically for use in residential heat pumps have made heat pumps not only  more energy efficient, but more reliable as well.  Innovations in heat pump technology continue to increase the efficiency and reliability of heat pump systems.

Ground source heat pumps (also called geothermal heat pumps) are the most energy efficient type of heat pump, but the relatively high cost of installation of a ground source heat pump has deterred many homeowners.  Dual source heat pumps have been designed that combine the attributes of ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps.  These units are almost as efficient as a ground source heat pump, but much less expensive to install.

Multi-speed compressors allow heat pumps to operate at slower speeds when the demand for heating or cooling is moderate, using less energy and saving wear and tear on the system.  Scroll compressors have been developed that are more reliable and operate more quietly and efficiently than piston driven compressors.  Variable speed fans operate more quietly than single speed fans and do a better job of dehumidifying the air which makes the home more comfortable.

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Tax Incentives For Geothermal Heat Pumps

June 21st, 2012 Posted in Heat Pumps
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Heat pumps are one of the most energy efficient ways to heat and cool a residence.  Although the technology has been around for decades, heat pumps have only become popular in recent years and it is estimated that more than ten percent of American homes rely on a heat pump for heating and cooling.  Air source heat pumps that work much like a central air conditioning system are by far the most common, but geothermal heat pumps (also called ground source heat pumps) are becoming increasingly popular.

Geothermal heat pumps are the most efficient type of heat pump marketed for residential use.  In addition, they are very durable and require less maintenance that other types of home heating and cooling systems.  A geothermal heat pump has an expected life of about 20 years for the pump and up to 50 years for the underground piping.

Over the life of the system, a geothermal heat pump can save a homeowner thousands of dollars on energy costs for heating and cooling.  However, many homeowners are deterred by the relatively high initial cost of a geothermal heat pump.

Fortunately, federal tax credits are available to help offset the initial cost of a new geothermal heat pump.  You may be eligible for a tax credit equal to 30 percent of the cost of a new geothermal heat pump installed before Dec. 31. 2016.  In addition, some states offer additional tax credits and your local utility may offer incentives for new heat pump installations.  Your local HVAC contractor will have more information about incentives available in your local area.

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