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How It Works - Geothermal Heat Pump


A Geothermal heat pump harnesses the energy of geothermal heat produced by the earth itself and transforms it into a usable energy for people on earth. Sometimes referred to as earth-coupled, water-source, or ground-source heat pumps, the geothermal heat pump came into existence in the late 1940s but have just recently become more accessible and more popular worldwide with nearly 40,000 installed in the United States each year.
The Geothermal heat pump or GHP uses the temperature of the earth as its source of energy instead of another source, such as the earth's air temperature or a fuel-burning energy source. As a result, a geothermal heat pump tends to by much more efficient than standard furnaces, often being three-hundred to six-hundred percent more efficient in the winter. The geothermal heat pump also serves as the cooling source for the home in place of a traditional air conditioner.

Since the geothermal heat pump utilizes the earth's ground temperature instead of its air temperature, consistency is able to be much more readily maintained. The temperature of the air climate of an area may vary greatly at different times of the year, but several feet below the earth's surface remains constant year round. With just a few degrees deviation between summer and winter, the ground temperature is warmer than the air in the winter and cooler than in the summer. With the use of a ground heat exchanger, the geothermal heat pump is able to cool the temperature in the summer and warm it in the summer by using the energy just below the soil.

The geothermal heat pump tends to be a very versatile piece of equipment. The geothermal heat pump is able to heat and cool a home as well as create a supply of hot water through a water heater option. It rarely needs maintenance and tends to be quieter and longer-lasting than a traditional furnace. A geothermal heat pump is also available with many features to vary the fan speed and temperature like a traditional furnace and air conditioner. They are not built that much differently, just with different working parts that heat the home. This is one thing that many people do not understand.

Another option for the geothermal heat pump combines a traditional, air-source heat pump with a geothermal heat pump, allowing for the best features of each system to be combined. The dual-source geothermal heat pump has a higher rate of efficiency than just air source units alone but costs less than installing just a geothermal heat pump. The single combined unit is often preferred since it is comparable to the geothermal heat pump with a lower cost. With the installation price of a geothermal heat pump being much higher than a traditional air-source furnace, users are often hesitant to invest in a geothermal heat pump. The savings in energy costs, however, are usually returned within ten years of investment, and the majority of the geothermal heat pump will last over twenty-five years.


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