Raleigh NC New Homes
Geothermal Heat Pumps - What Are the Benefits?
Going Green In Your Triangle New Home
Special thanks to Johnny Vaughan of Bowman Mechanical Services Inc in Garner, NC for sharing this information on Geothermal Systems!
Here's what Bowman Mechanical Services has to say:
How Much Does a Geothermal Heat Pump Save?
Geo = Earth
Thermal = Heat
Geothermal heat pumps use stable ground temperatures for home heating and cooling. According to the EPA, the geothermal systems can save 40 percent to 70 percent on home heating and 20 percent to 50 percent on home cooling costs over conventional sytems, although installation costs are higher.
Geothermal Facts
If one in twelve California homes installed a geoexchange system, the energy savings would equal nine new power plants.
Current geoexchange installations equal 14 million barrels of crude oil saved per year.
Putting a geoexchange system in a typical home is equal in greenhouse gas reduction to taking two cars off the road.
Global Movement Towards Geothermal Heat Pump Systems
The United States was the world leader in GHP technology and market development from the 1980s to the early 2000s, but today GHP shipments in Europe are believed to be 135,000 to 190,000 units annually compared to 60,000 in the United States.
Asian Countries embrace Geothermal, Europe surpasses U.S. production
Rapid market growth is also reported in Asia, especially China and South Korea, owing to supportive government policies, including GHPs being highlighted at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Geothermal Heat Pumps - How Do They Work?
A heat pump-like an air conditioner or refrigerator-moves heat from one place to another.
In the summer, a geothermal heat pump (GHP) operating in a cooling mode lowers indoor temperatures by transferring heat to the ground.
Unlike an air conditioner, though, a heat pump's process can be reversed.
In the winter, a GHP extracts heat from the ground and transfers it inside. Also, the GHP can use waste heat from summer air-conditioning to provide virtually free water heating.
The energy value of the heat moved is typically more than three times the electricity used in the transfer process. GHPs are efficient and require no backup heat because the earth stays at a relatively moderate temperature throughout the year.
Geothermal Heat Pumps Include Three Major Parts
The GHP system includes three major components: a ground loop (buried piping system), heat pump itself (inside the building), and a heating and cooling distribution system.
The earth-coupled (or closed-loop) GHP uses sealed horizontal or vertical pipes as heat exchangers through which water, or water and antifreeze, transfer heat to or from the ground.
Because of their versatility, earth-coupled systems dominate the GHP market. Typical loop installations for the earth-coupled systems are expected to work for 50 years.
Applications of geothermal technology include:
most building types, combined geothermal piping/well fields, hot water recovery, radiant heating, snow melting, Refrigeration equipment, optimized pumping, lake rejection and process cooling.
Geothermal Heat Pumps use the only renewable energy resource on the planet that cannot be depleted
Only through the use of alternative energy will we be able to meet energy demand increase and reverse the growing carbon footprint that many suggest is on a path to catastrophic climate change. Heating and air conditioning account for over 43% of the building energy cost and CO2 emissions in the U.S.
Power generation to meet electricity needs will be the biggest driver of higher energy demand representing more than 40% of the increase while fossil-base fuels will continue to provide the supplies for this demand with oil and gas close to 60%. Demand for coal will grow as the demand of electricity in developing countries rise.
Geothermal & CO2 Gases
Emission of "greenhouse gases" into the environment has become an increasing concern. Deregulation of the electrical market will allow consumers to select power suppliers that utilize "green power." Geothermal power is classed as "green power" and has lower emissions of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity than even the cleanest of fossil fuels, natural gas.
However, previously published estimates of carbon dioxide emissions are relatively old and need revision. This study estimates that the average carbon dioxide emissions from geothermal and fossil fuel power plants are:
geothermal 0.18
coal 2.13
petroleum 1.56
natural gas 1.03
pounds of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour respectively.
Geothermal Is Part of the Solution
Nobel-Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change In 2007 identified the building sector as having the highest Green House Gas emissions, but also the best potential for dramatic emissions reductions.
GHPs were specifically identified as a solution that is economically feasible under certain circumstances in continental and cold climates, and cases were cited where total electricity use decreased by one third and heating energy use by 50 to 60 percent.
Special Thanks to Bowman Mechanical Services, 919-772-6460, Garner NC.
About Bowman Mechanical Services: We are a full line American Standard, Florida heat pump and Climate Master dealer with an alternative brand, Goodman, for the more budget conscious. We have an expertise and consider ourselves (as do our peers!) the most qualified company in the area to install GEOTHERMAL heat pump systems. With over 700 of these systems to our credit in the last 25 years, we have developed an expertise unmatched.
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