Overview It is important for us to know what ground source heat pumps mean. Several people may have heard about it, but may not know that refrigerators and air conditioners are actually similar types of heat pumps. The function of a ground source heat pump is to transfer heat directly from below the ground level to a building or a house for heating rooms. It also enables in preheating hot water.
Working of ground source heat pumps We should learn about the working of a ground source heat pump. Long pipes are buried under the ground in a borehole or a trench. A mixture of water and antifreeze is filled in the pipe, which is pumped round the heat pump. This helps in absorbing heat from under the ground. There are three key components associated to this heat pump. The heat pump section of the ground source heat pumps contains similar components found in a standard heat pump. Here, heat is taken by the evaporator from the water found in the ground loop. Later, the compressor compresses the refrigerant to the required temperature that is necessary for the circulation of heat. The condenser is considered to be the last component that provides heat to the tank containing hot water.
Installation During the installation process of ground source heat pumps you need to observe several things as it is considered to be a major job of home improvement. You need to have sufficient space outside your home for laying underground piping system. For digging the trench it is essential for you to consider whether this space is suitable or not. You need to think whether you can afford to bear the installation costs as it can run into thousands of dollars.
Significant benefits In the rural regions of the US and the UK, you may find that the usage of ground source heat pumps is done on a large scale. When these pumps are operated efficiently it is possible for you to produce heat up to a maximum of three or four units for every unit of electrical energy that you have utilized. The other major benefit that you will be able to derive out of these pumps is that its operation can be reversed during the summer season. Hence, you can provide cooling to your home. You can see that these pumps are found to be an efficient way of cooling or heating your home during summer as well as winter months. These pumps are expected to utilise only seventy five percent less energy when compared to pumps operating on traditional fuels like oil or gas.
Saving in your energy bills According to estimates, based on the average performance of ground source heat pump installed in your home, you can save energy bills ranging from £650 and £1,035 per annum. With this type of savings, you can always replace your oil fired heating by a ground source heat pump. Besides, you can replace your electrical heating method by a ground source heat pump, which can save you money ranging from £1,265 and £2,000 per annum. By availing renewable heat incentive schemes offered by the government the initial installation cost of these pumps can be reduced. Through energy saving it is possible for you to recoup the initial installation costs.
Conclusion In general, buying a ground source heat pump is always recommended as it is well suited for newly constructed properties instead of installing it in your existing home. This is owing to the fact that installation costs can be reduced if the heat pump is made as a part of new building specification. However, by availing the renewable heat incentive scheme offered nowadays, you can replace an old or expensive heating system in your existing home with ground source heat pump. This will save money on your energy bills.
Author Bio The author of this article is associated with Global Energy Systems and write various articles related to Heat Pumps UK and its benefits.
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