Green Renewable Energy

The term geothermal literally means Earth/Ground (Geo) Heat (thermal). Geothermal, or ground source heat pumps, take advantage of the constant ground or groundwater temperatures. These heat pumps use geothermal energy to heat and/or cool your home.

A refrigerant loop with a compressor extracts heat from one side (the ground) and pumps it to the heating loop in your home. It is essentially the same process that happens in your refrigerator: heat is extracted via a compressor and refrigerant loop from the inside of your refrigerator/freezer and rejected into your house.

In the summer the geothermal heat pump reverses its cycle, if you have an air-conditioning system, and heat from the home is rejected into the ground or ground water.

What makes geothermal heat pumps such a good choice for residential heating and cooling is that they do not depend on outside air temperatures. These heat pumps will heat your home as efficiently on a windy, zero-degree winter day as on a 40-degree day. Provided of course, that your house is well insulated and tight.

Geothermal heat pumps are also a very efficient way for heating and cooling your home. They use 25-50% less energy than conventional heating and cooling systems (Source: US DOE).

Residential applications of geothermal energy systems use water-to-water or water-to-air heat pumps.

Water-to-Water Geothermal Heat Pumps

Water-to-water geothermal heat pumps are generally used for heating only. They replace the gas or oil furnace that you might currently have to heat your home and water with.

It is important to know that heat pumps work most effectively when the temperature difference between the heat source (ground) and heat sink (floor heat or radiators) is small.

Ground temperatures range anywhere from 50 to 75 degF, depending on where you live. This means that geothermal heat pumps are generally not suitable for standard hot water baseboard applications, which are designed for heating water temperatures of 180 degF. Floor heat and low-temperature radiators require water temperatures in the range of 95 to 140 degF.

Some newer heat pump models are now equipped with so-called desuperheaters that can transfer excess heat from the geothermal heat pumps compressor to the domestic water heater. Your geothermal heat pump can also effectively and quickly heat water for your bathtub, shower and sinks.

Water-To-Air Geothermal Heat Pumps

These types of ground source heat pumps are generally used when you need air conditioning. The Water is the heat sink, where you reject the heat from the house. The Air is the air that is distributed through your home via ductwork.

Otherwise, these heat pumps function the same way as water-to-water heat pumps. And again, the efficiency of a geothermal heating and cooling system is far better than that of a traditional system.

Important To Know

The first step towards making a geothermal heat pump system be a reliable and efficient heating (and cooling) system for your home is to minimize the heating and cooling requirements with a well-insulated building envelope and strategically placed windows for passive solar gain.

Not only is your first cost reduced, because your system will be smaller. You will also tremendously increase the comfort of your home.

Geothermal heat pumps systems are best designed and installed by professionals. It is not recommended to DIY. These systems must meet specific requirements. Especially the piping laid out in the ground, or down to the ground water table, must be designed and installed correctly to ensure that your geothermal heat pump system works as intended.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, geothermal systems are the most energy efficient, cost-effective and environmentally clean heating/cooling systems available. A 1,500 square foot home in Colorado that uses a geothermal heat pump, averages energy costs of $1 a day. This includes all heating, cooling and hot water needs!

Geothermal heat pump systems can reduce a building’s energy consumption by 25% to 75%, as compared with conventional heating systems. Not only do they reduce energy consumption, but GHPs significantly lesson corresponding emissions. Emissions can be reduced up 44-72%, as compared with standard air-source heat pumps and air conditioning equipment. If you want to upgrade your space conditioning sources or are building a new home, these systems are green, clean and lean. In the long run they will benefit your pocket-book and the environment.

The simplest description of the geoexchange process is the movement of heat from the earth (or a groundwater source) into the home in the winter, and the discharging of heat back into the ground in the summer. Much of the country experiences extreme seasonal temperatures. But, did you know that just a few feet below the earth’s surface, the ground remains a relatively constant temperature? Ground temperatures range from 45 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. As in a cave, the ground temperature is warmer than the ambient air in the winter and cooler than that air in the summer. Geoexchange systems take advantage of this natural phenomenon.

GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS: THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF HEAT EXCHANGE

The geothermal system includes these principal components:

- Earth Connection

Using the earth as a heat source and sink, a series of pipes is buried under ground, near the house. A fluid (water or a mixture of water and antifreeze) is circulated through these pipes. If the surrounding air is cooler than the soil, the pipes will absorb heat and if the air is warmer, they will sink heat back into the soil.

- Geothermal Heat Pump

For the actual heating of your home, a geothermal heat pump is installed. This heat pump removes heat from the fluid in the pipes, concentrates it, and then transfers it to the building. The process is reversed for cooling.

- Heat Distribution

Generally, conventional ductwork is used to distribute heated or cooled air from the pump into and throughout the building.

THE “DESUPERHEATER”: REDUCE YOUR HOT WATER COSTS BY HALF!

Geothermal heat pumps can be equipped with a “desuperheater. Yes, it sounds like a super hero and in some ways, it is. This device will heat your household water. The heat extracted from the house by your GHP during the summer, is then transferred from the GHP’s compressor into the house’s hot water tank. Winter water heating costs can be reduced by half with use of the “desuperheater”. HOT STUFF!

SHORT TERM COSTS VS LONGTERM SAVINGS

On average, a geothermal heat pump system costs about $2500 per ton of capacity. This would translate to roughly $7500 for a typical residential sized home. Other standard systems with air conditioning units usually go for about $4000. But, consider that with GHP’s high efficiency and much lower utility bills, your investment can be recouped in two to ten years. Financially, it is a golden ticket to strengthen the investment in your property. Not only in long term savings, but also in terms of increasing property value. A property that is equipped to heat/cool using geothermal is mostly self-sufficient, energy wise. There is real re-sale value, right there. Likewise, many geothermal systems can be financed with special loans from banks and other financial institutions. Get on board now, and invest in the investment that keeps on giving, naturally!

GEOTHERMAL IS SUPERIOR

DURABILITY

With fewer mechanical components that are all sheltered from the elements and possible vandalism, geothermal heat pumps are durable and highly reliable. Expect piping systems to come with 25-50 year warranties. The GHPs themselves last 20 years or more.

IMPROVED HUMIDITY CONTROL

GHPs are very effective in humid areas. GHPs improve humidity control while maintaining a 50% relative indoor humidity.

EFFICIENT AND QUIET

A two speed GHP system is so quiet. There are no tell-tale blasts of cold or hot air, as with other systems. Imagine, no A/C noise bothering the neighbors or buzzing the patio. With geothermal systems there are no outside condensing units, hence no constant hum, as with conventional air conditioners.

DESIGN IN MIND

Geothermal heat pump systems allow for design flexibility and can be installed in both new and retrofit situations. The hardware requires less space than conventional systems and so equipment rooms tend to be smaller. Imagine all the valuable home space freed up for other uses! The system also provides “zone” specific conditioning. Different parts of your home can be heated or cooled to different temperatures using GHPs.

There are so many advantages when you install a geothermal system in your home. First and foremost the immediate advantages will be for you, the consumer. Savings in utility costs will be from 20-70%! But, also consider what you will be doing for the environment with reduced emissions and reduced energy consumption. Every 100,000 homes built with geothermal heat pump systems reduce foreign oil consumption by 2.15 million barrels annually! What more do you need to know? An investment in a geothermal system for your home is undeniably wise for you, your future, the future of our planet and generations to come.

There are a list of geothermal companies that are from all over the world such as Mitsubishi, Enel Green Power, Geoscience, Eco Systems Ireland Ltd., Enerflo Geothermal Technologies, Geothermex, One Source Energy Inc., PB Power, Sky Power Systems, and many many more. They all specialize in many different things, such as solar power, renewable energy, geothermal consulting, etc.

So what is geothermal power anyway? Geothermal power is energy generated by the Earth’s heat that is stored underground. They process this energy in geothermal plants throughout the world. Homes can also use geothermal climate control, allowing the home to be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer while using far less power than traditional methods.

A geothermal climate controlled home generally works by circulating a liquid throughout the house and underground. In the winter, the liquid absorbs heat from underground and disperses it into the home as it circulates above ground. During the summer months, the opposite occurs as the liquid absorbs heat from the home and disperses the heat into the ground.

There are many advantages to this kind of energy. Heat energy requires no fuel to purchase. Geothermal plants work twenty-four hours a day making it a very competitive company.

But there are also disadvantages to geothermal heat energy. Geothermal fluid is extremely corrosive. By extracting geothermal fluids it is feared that it will make the land unstable in the surrounding areas of the power plant. Hot water from the geothermal steam can also be dangerous if it makes its way into underground drinking water because it contains mercury, lead, and arsenic.

Geothermal plants are popping up all over the world such as Africa, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Iceland, Russia, Portugal, and many other countries. Hundreds of thousands of homes in the U.S. use geothermal climate control.

Geothermal energy is expected to produce enough energy to provide us with a power source for thousands of years, which could help save us money in years to come because geothermal energy is quite efficient.

How Geothermal Power Came to Be

Geothermal energy wasn’t used for power until the twentieth century. A man from Italy tested the first geothermal generator in the early 1900’s, which lit up four light bulbs. Seven years later in the same location, they built the world’s first geothermal power plant.

A few years later the United States caught on to the idea and built their first geothermal power plant at the Geysers resort. The plant was able to generate enough power to run the whole resort.

There are so many ways to produce energy to make electricity, and some are more expensive than others. But if you do your research you will find out about what energy plants are better for our environment and which ones are more efficient.