Geothermal Heat Pumps are very quiet, providing a pleasant environment inside & outside of the building. Geothermal Heat Pumps have no noisy fan units to disturb outdoor activities, on or near the patio.
Geothermal Heat Pumps are durable and highly reliable. The Geothermal Heat Pump contains fewer mechanical components, and all components are either buried in the ground or located inside the building, which protects them from outside conditions. The underground pipe carries up to 50 years warranty.
Using what is called a desuperheater, Geothermal Heat Pumps turn waste heat to the task of heating hot water. During the summer, when the system is in cooling mode, your hot water is produced free as a byproduct of the thermal process. In winter, with the heating mode, the desuperheater heats a portion of your hot water. Desuperheaters are standard on some units, optional on others. Stand-alone systems that will heat water all year around can be purchased.
Most of a Geothermal Heat Pump installation is underground. Inside the house, the heat pump units are about the same size as a traditional heating and cooling unit.
Yes. A Geothermal Heat Pump can be a combination heating/cooling and hot water heating system. You can change from one mode to another with a simple flick on your indoor thermostat. Using a desuperheater, some Geothermal Heat Pumps can save you up to 50% on your water-heating bill by preheating tank water.
The Geothermal Heat Pump is one of the most efficient residential heating and cooling systems available today, with heating efficiencies 50 to 70% higher than other heating systems and cooling efficiencies 20 to 40% higher than available air conditioners. That directly translates into savings for you on your utility bills.
Geothermal Heat Pump systems are safe and protected. With no exposed equipment outdoors, children or pets cannot injure themselves or damage exterior units. Geothermal Heat Pumps have no open flame, flammable fuel or potentially dangerous fuel storage tanks.
A Geothermal Heat Pump system moves warm air (32-40(C) throughout your building or business via standard ductwork. An even comfort level is created because the warm air is moved in slightly higher volumes and saturates the building with warmth more evenly. This helps even out hot or colds spots and eliminates the cold air blasts common with fossil fuel furnaces. For heating only systems in slab or underfloor radiant heating is a very popular choice where (32-40(C) is circulated via a series individual zoned floor piping. Radiant floor heating is even more economical as no fan power is required. In some building types the in slab piping can also be used for cooling.
The buried pipe, or ground loop, is the most recent technical advancement in heat pump technology. Recently, new heat pump designs and improved buried pipe materials have been combined to make Geothermal Heat Pump systems the most efficient heating and cooling systems available.
Nearly all Geothermal Heat Pump system manufacturers offer a warranty for major components that is equivalent to the warranties for conventional heating and cooling systems. Manufacturers of plastic pipe used for ground loops warrant their products for up to 50 years.
Yes! Many Geothermal Heat Pump systems are being installed using a multitude of systems hooked up to an array of buried vertical or horizontal loops. This simplifies zone control and internal load balancing.
Geothermal Heat Pumps save money, both in operating costs and maintenance costs. Investments can be recouped in as little as three years. There is a positive cash flow, since the energy savings usually exceeds payment on the system.
The initial investment for a Geothermal Heat Pump system is greater than that of a conventional system. However, when you consider the operating costs of a geothermal heating, cooling, and water heating system, energy savings quickly offset the initial difference in purchase price.
You can expect an installation charge for any electrical work, ductwork, water connection, and other provisions or adaptations to your building that are required. Our engineers can estimate these costs in advance if required.
The reduced peak load requirements would allow utilities to serve more customers and to lower fixed costs per customer, thus offsetting some increased variable costs. This would result in less cost per kilowatt, since fixed investment for new capacity is high.
Most units are easy to install, especially when they are replacing another forced-air system. This is known as a retrofit. Geothermal Heat Pumps can be installed in areas unsuitable for gas boilers or furnaces (fossil fuel appliances) because there is no combustion and thus no need to vent exhaust fumes. Ductwork must be installed in buildings without an existing air distribution system.
It’s not recommended. There is a large amount of engineering required for a geothermal heating and cooling system. Thermal fusion of the pipe, drilling and trenching are procedures best handled by professionals. Nonprofessional installations may result in less than optimum performance, which could cancel out anticipated savings.
Typically trenches are spaced 1.0-1.5m apart while boreholes are spaced 3-4.5m apart.
This depends on soil conditions, length and depth of pipe, and equipment required. A typical small installation can be completed in one or two days.
With the vertical installation, time varies with conditions on the site such as type and depth of the overburden, type and hardness of the bedrock, and the presence of aquifers. Typical drilling times are one or two days; total installation can usually be accomplished in two days for a small system.
Horizontal installations are simpler, requiring lower-cost equipment. However, they require longer lengths of pipe due to seasonal variations in soil temperature and moisture content. Since a horizontal heat exchanger is laid out in trenches, a larger area is usually required than for a vertical system. Where land is limited, vertical installations or a compact horizontal installation can be ideal. If regional soil conditions include extensive hard rock, a vertical installation may be the only available choice. Vertical installations tend to be more expensive due to the increased cost of drilling versus trenching, but since the heat exchanger is buried deeper than with a horizontal system, vertical systems are usually more efficient and can get by with less total pipe. A Geomaster engineer is able to help you decide which configuration best meets your specific needs.
Geothermal Heat Pump systems are generally sized to meet all your heating and cooling needs. Our engineers can provide a heating and cooling load calculation to guide your equipment selection.
Currently installed systems are making a huge difference in our environment! The systems are eliminating more than three million tons of carbon dioxide and is equivalent of taking 650,000 cars off the road. Geothermal Heat Pump systems conserve energy and, because they move heat that already exists rather than burning something to create heat, they reduce the amount of toxic emissions in the atmosphere. They use renewable energy from the sun, and because the system doesn’t rely on outside air, it keeps the air inside of buildings cleaner and free from pollens, outdoor pollutants, mold spores, and other allergens.
Geothermal Heat Pump systems conserve natural resources by providing climate control very efficiently-thus also lowering emissions. Geothermal Heat Pumps also minimize ozone layer destruction by using factory-sealed refrigeration systems, which will seldom or never have to be recharged.
Ground source heat pump systems will reduce your heating and cooling costs regardless of how well your building is insulated. However, insulating and weatherizing are key factors in gaining the maximum amount of savings from any type of heating and cooling system.
Yes. Called dual systems, they can easily be added to existing furnaces for those wishing to have a dual-fuel heating system. Dual-fuel systems use the Geothermal Heat Pump system as the main heating source, and a gas furnace or boiler as a supplement in extremely cold weather should additional heat be needed.
Not at all. The system is installed deep enough that it utilizes constant ground temperature.
No. Research has shown that loops have no adverse effects on grass, trees, or shrubs. Most horizontal installations require trenches about six inches wide. Temporary bare areas can be restored with grass seed or sod. Vertical loops require little space and do not damage lawns significantly.
Yes, in most cases. Our engineers will be able to determine ductwork requirements and if any minor modifications are needed.
All systems require an emergency backup. Heat pumps can provide all the heat necessary even in the coldest weather. An economic analysis by our engineers should dictate what portion of the heat should be provided by the heat pump and what portion by auxiliary means.