Earning the ENERGY STAR means products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
- ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pumps use about 30% less energy than a standard heat pump.
- They are quieter than conventional systems.
Geothermal heat pumps (sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps) have been in use since the late 1940s. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300%-600%) on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.
As with any heat pump, geothermal and water-source heat pumps are able to heat, cool, and, if so equipped, supply the house with hot water. Some models of geothermal systems are available with two-speed compressors and variable fans for more comfort and energy savings. Relative to air-source heat pumps, they are quieter, last longer, need little maintenance, and do not depend on the temperature of the outside air.
A dual-source heat pump combines an air-source heat pump with a geothermal heat pump. These appliances combine the best of both systems. Dual-source heat pumps have higher efficiency ratings than air-source units, but are not as efficient as geothermal units. The main advantage of dual-source systems is that they cost much less to install than a single geothermal unit, and work almost as well.
Even though the installation price of a geothermal system can be several times that of an air-source system of the same heating and cooling capacity, the additional costs are returned to you in energy savings in 5–10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for the inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop. There are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year.
Take a Stand, Make a Differnce
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
I read in a DOE document about dual source heat pumps. I’ve tried to find out more info about them, but there essentially isn’t anything. The paragraph on this webpage “A dual-source heat pump combines an air-source heat pump with a geothermal heat pump. These appliances combine the best of both systems. …” is repeated verbatim in all the other websites I look at. Is anybody putting these in? It sounds good, but if no one’s actually building and installing them, I’d like to know, so I can consider other alternatives.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Thanks for the comment Clark. Let me do some digging and I will get back to you by tomorrow morning. We appreciate the interest.
L.J.
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:56 am
Clark,
I found some information for you. The biggest question will be where you live, because that will determine how much things cost and who installs them. From what I read through the evening and this morning, a “split geothermal system.” I could be wrong, but they seem to “Using geothermal split systems in conjunction with a fossil fuel furnace “turbocharges” the system for increased efficiency.” I got that quote off this website; http://www.waterfurnace.com/comfort_systems.aspx?sys=splt.
Here is a link that may come in handy, it is has a list of leading pump manufactures.
http://www.construction-index.com/usa-geothermal-heat-pumps.asp
I got this off another website. The best thing I think you could do is contact one of these guys and ask. Whatever you find out, please let us know, as I am sure other people like yourself would love to know. If I don’t hear back from you, I may just contact someone myself.
List of local GHP installers:
Ultra Geothermal
Darren Rice
358 Route 4
Barrington, NH 03825
603-868-7878
DRice@UltraGeothermal.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Check out Darren’s calculator at his website: http://www.ultrageothermal.com
L.J.
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December 15th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Hey!, thanks for the good “” post. Would it be possible, that i can write a story about this post in our local newspaper? I would be really happy if i can do this and i will give you a link from a german blog too. Please answer. Greetings Goldpreise
January 27th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Gold-
We apologize for the late reply. Yes, by all means, you can write a story on it. Let us know if you are able to do so, and if you get a good response.
thanks
considertomorrow
LJ