Renewable Energy News

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal heat pumps, also know as ground source heat pumps, extract heat from the ground using a loop of pipe that runs in the ground outside your property. By reducing the temperature of the ground by a few degrees you can heat your whole house and domestic hot water.

The required heat source can take the form of a closed ground loop or an open water loop.

Closed Ground Loop vs Open Water Loop

In general the most popular form of ground source heat pump arrangement is to have a closed ground loop. However many people in old large houses have access to wells or even lakes.

Water gives up it's heat at a faster rate than the ground because it conducts heat more effectively that soil. This is beneficial to the heat pump system.
Another plus point is that water temperature in wells tends to be fairly consistent, this has a disadvantage in the summer as the ground is often warming than well water but in the winter, when most heat is required, the water is warmer than the ground. This means that the system can run more efficiently in the winter.
Extracting heat from a well also means that there is no ground works are kept to a minimum and the required are of land is drastically reduced.

However, there are also some disadvantages to consider. Extracting water from the ground, in some cases, will need a license. This can be checked with your local council. There is also a significant amount of energy required to pump water from a deep well to the heat exchanger in the heat pump.

One other precaution is that the well needs to have a rapid replenishment rate. This will need to be tested.

If you want to look more into ground/water source heat pumps you can have a survey conducted on your home that will determine it's suitability for you.

Call Intelligent Energy Solutions to discuss your requirements.

Labels: Heat-Pumps