Smart heating and cooling with geothermal

The sun’s energy is useful for generating electricity for your home. It’s also useful for heating and cooling, but not through the use of solar panel collectors. Geothermal heating and cooling systems also make use of the sun’s free energy using different collection methods. Ground loop components actually absorb heat caused by the sun from within the earth to heat your home, and deposit heat back into the earth for cooling.

Geothermal heating and cooling systems offer the highest level of energy savings compared to any home system. With geothermal, you can save as much as 70 percent on heating and cooling costs. This savings is made possible through the use of the sun’s energy stored within the earth, rather than fossil fuels.

Even when temperatures outside fluctuate, geothermal provides steady heating and cooling. It doesn't matter what the outside temperature is, because the temperature below ground always remains at a constant level. Usually, this temperature is between 50 and 55 degrees year round.

For heating purposes, geothermal heating and cooling systems offer the best return on your heating dollars. They are able to produce about 5 dollars’ worth of heat for every dollar spent for electricity. Even the most high efficiency furnace can’t do that. In fact, the best a high efficiency furnace can do is give you back about 98 cents’ worth of heating for every dollar spent on heating fuels; not much of a payback, is it?

For cooling, central air conditioners and air source heat pumps drop in efficiency as outdoor temperatures climb, which is typically when you want and need cooling the most. A geothermal heating and cooling system is much more efficient. Typically, they more than double the efficiency you’ll find with air source heat pumps and central air conditioners.

Geothermal heating and cooling systems don’t have exposed outdoor components. Everything you need is either below ground or housed within your home. Central air conditioners and air source heat pumps have outdoor components, leaving them vulnerable to damage, vandalism, and theft.

How do ground source heat pumps work?

Many people know that geothermal heat systems use the earth’s heat to provide heating for the home, but may be unsure of how this is achieved. The answer is simple: a heat pump. The system utilizes a ground source heat pump to move heat from within the earth into your home.

A geothermal heating system doesn't use combustible materials to heat your home like a gas or propane furnace does. Instead, it uses refrigerant to carry heat from one system component to the next. The compressor within the heat pump moves the refrigerant throughout the entire system.

In winter, the earth’s heat is absorbed by the ground loop and carried to the coaxial coil.  The inner coil contains the water from the ground loop, and the outer tube of the coil houses cold refrigerant. Through the walls of the coil, the heat from the ground loop’s water is passed to the refrigerant. Then, the refrigerant moves the heat to the compressor where it is pressurized. The pressure makes the refrigerant extremely hot.

Once the refrigerant is good and hot, it’s pumped through the air coil’s pipes and fins. When air is forced across the now-hot coil, heat is transferred into that air. A blower then moves the heated air through your duct system and into your home to heat the space.

Next, the refrigerant is moved to the expansion valve, where the pressure is low. The low pressure cools the refrigerant so it’s ready to move back to the coaxial coil. Once refrigerant returns to the coaxial coil, it is again ready to absorb the heat from water carried through the ground loop.

For cooling your home, the ground source heat pump simply works in reverse. Refrigerant will flow in the opposite direction and excess heat will be pulled from inside your home to be deposited back into the ground. This excess heat can also be used to heat water for your home.

Geothermal heating system installation and new construction

Are you planning to build a new home in the future? If so, one of the decisions you’ll have to make is how to heat and cool your home. Geothermal heating systems are efficient and environmentally friendly. New home construction is an ideal time to install a geothermal heating system.

Constructing a new home is the perfect time to install a geothermal system because of the ground loop that will need placed. While your building site is empty, it’s easy to lay the piping needed for the ground loop. When installing a geothermal heating system at an existing home, there are obstacles that must be worked around, such as the house itself, and landscaping that may have to be disturbed. With an unfinished site, the necessary components for the geothermal heating system can be placed before structures and landscaping are finished.

Choosing a geothermal heating system will provide you with great energy savings, above and beyond what can be achieved with high efficiency forced air heating and cooling equipment. The energy savings you’ll earn over the lifetime of your system can be reinvested into other items for your home, like upgraded fixtures and the other “wish list” items you've been wanting in a new home.

Installing a geothermal heating system will cost you more initially versus conventional oil or gas heating and cooling options. Don’t be put off by the price tag, as the energy savings this system will produce will allow it to pay for itself. Plus, your geothermal heating system installation will qualify you to receive a 30 percent tax credit, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. When you look at it that way, almost a third of the initial cost will be covered, which can take away some of the sticker shock for homeowners.

Free hot water with geothermal heat systems

When you choose a geothermal heat system to provide heating and cooling for your home, did you know you can also get free hot water? A desuperheater can be used with your geothermal heat pump to capture heat from the compressor, which is then modified for use in water heating. With greater efficiency and the added hot water bonus, who could pass up the value and utility of a geothermal heat system?

Using your geothermal heat system to also heat hot water provides significant cost savings. You won’t have to rely so much on that electric, natural gas, or propane water heater, so you’ll save on energy costs. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, homeowners who use geothermal for their hot water needs find that hot water generation can cost about 80 percent less versus traditional water heating methods.

Excess heat is created by the geothermal heat pump in both heating and cooling modes, though more is produced through cooling because you’re trying to get rid of the heat, not bring more inside. Rather than depositing the heat from your home into the earth through the ground loop, that heat can be used to heat your water instead, allowing you to utilize that heat waste. Using a desuperheater in the summertime can create most or even all of the hot water you need around the house. During the other season, the desuperheater will still provide some of the hot water you need, but you’ll still need to use your primary water heating method.

If you have questions about geothermal heat systems or using a desuperheater for your hot water needs, give us a call. The geothermal experts at Smith Sustainable Design are available to answer all your system and equipment questions. If you’re thinking of installing a geothermal heat system, consider adding a desuperheater to further maximize efficiency and energy savings at home.