Geothermal
heat pumps
http://youtu.be/y_ZGBhy48YI
·
Made up of a ground loop (a network of water pipes buried underground)
and a heat pump at ground level.
·
A mixture of water and anti-freeze is pumped around the ground loop and
absorbs the naturally occurring heat stored in the ground. The pump itself
consists of an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser - together these take
the heat from the water mixture
·
Help to
lower your carbon footprint as it uses a renewable, natural source of heat –
the ground.
·
A heat pump also requires a supplementary source of power to
power the heat pump, resulting in CO2 emissions.
Pros of ground source heat pumps
·
Ground source heat pumps generate less CO2 than conventional
heating systems.
·
Lower
maintenance costs than conventional systems as all equipment is installed
inside the building or underground
·
No outside
equipment exposed to weather and vandalism.
·
less loss
in heat transfer
·
In commercial
installations, systems can save money by recovering excess heat from building
interior zones and moving it to the perimeter of the building.
·
They can also
save money by allowing management to isolate and shut down unoccupied areas of
the building.
·
Lower
heat pump energy costs
Cons of ground source heat pumps
·
Installing a ground source heat pump is expensive, depending on
the size of the system
·
Ground source heat pumps are generally not suitable for
properties with existing gas-fired central heating as the technology works at
lower temperatures, making it better suited to homes with underfloor heating.
·
The groundworks required to dig the trench can be expensive and
disruptive – planning permission may be required if space is at a premium and
you need a borehole.
·
You still need to use electricity to drive the pump, so a ground
source heat pump can’t be considered completely zero-carbon unless this is
provided by a renewable source, such as solar power or a wind
turbine.
VERTICAL
·
Used by
large commercial buildings and schools because the land area required for
horizontal loops would be prohibitive
·
Vertical loops are also used where the soil is too shallow for trenching, and they minimize the disturbance to existing landscaping.
http://bge.apogee.net/ces/library/tcwshp.asp
http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/geothermal-heat-pumps
http://www.which.co.uk/energy/creating-an-energy-saving-home/guides/ground-source-heat-pumps-explained/how-ground-source-heat-pumps-work/
