Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) maintain a comfortable temperature in a home through the cold winter months, as well as the hot summer months, by moving existing heat from the ground into the house when it is cold, and out of the house and into the ground when it is hot. Heat, or energy, has a natural tendency to move from hot to cold. A GSHP takes advantage of this natural flow, and even enhances it. Most, if not all, buildings can utilise these heating and cooling systems.
How They Work
In the installation of a GSHP, long loops of pipe are buried in the garden of a home or building. The size of the building dictates the length of the underground piping, with a larger building needing more piping. The amount of land space allowed for the loops determines whether they should be installed vertically and deep in the ground (less space), or horizontally (more space). Either method requires that the piping needs to be buried at a level that is deep enough to be unaffected by the seasons. Usually, the ground at this depth consistently remains at eight to twelve degrees Celsius.
A liquid that is like antifreeze moves through the pipes at this level and picks up the heat, carrying it back into the house. In the house the liquid passes the heat onto a refrigerant, which evaporates. The evaporated refrigerant is made hotter through compression, which then transfers its heat to a water supply that heats the home, usually through the use of radiators or underfloor heating systems. In an alternative form of the same system, the pipes run through a body of water, natural or manmade, at a depth significant enough to be warmer than the air temperatures. In the hot summer months the process is reversed. The heat from inside the home is carried out through the pipes and dispersed into the ground or body of water.
GSHPs can supply heat for both the hot water system and heating system of a home, but not at the same time. Homeowners usually handle the sharing of heat for the two systems with a valve that is timed to best suit their needs.
Efficiency
These systems do not produce a heat as extreme as formerly used heating systems, so they run for longer periods of time to produce the same amount of heat, sometimes all day and night. As the pumps are run by electricity, there is a cost. Furthermore, the cost of installing a GHSP, even when using existing radiators can be substantial. However, with all expenses considered, over time these systems use less energy to run and are a sound economical investment. In addition, they require a minimal amount of maintenance, so they can save the homeowner costly repairs that sometimes come with other types of systems. Last, as these systems' require less energy consumption, they are more environmentally sound, with a lower production of greenhouse gasses.
With minimal maintenance, a lower running cost, and less disruption of the ozone layer, ground source heat pumps may be a sound choice for many home and business owners in the future.
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