Ground Source Heat Pumps | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Sherri Zann Rosenthal (enocommonscompuserve.com) | |
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 01:16:05 -0500 |
Eno Commons is also planning to use the ground source (geothermal) heat pump, for many of the reasons Merlin cited in his post. For us, doing away with the noise of outdoor air conditioning units was probably the biggest factor in favor of geothermal heat pumps. However, though I think they're neat, I do not think these are the greenest things to ever hit the HVAC scene since sealed ducts. For one thing, they use electricity. Line losses from electrical transmission result in some loss of efficiency, when net inputs are considered. Total pollution created depends in part on the mix of stuff used to create electricity in your area. The best source I've seen to compare heating and cooling technologies is the 1993 EPA report "Space Conditioning: the next frontier," EPA #430-R-93-004. I called the EPA's 800 number and got one for free. It is quite a tome, filled with charts showing regional results for best HVAC systems in all sorts of scenarios, and exactly what pollution is produced by each system. Although the summary sections really tout geothermal, my conclusion from studying the charts is that an efficient gas furnace and AC combination is less expensive than geothermal to install, not much more costly to run, and is quite good on net pollution--except for carbon dioxide, of which it produces quite a bit more. Interestingly, a member of Eno Commons who does atmospheric modeling for the EPA says that the jury is still out on how harmful carbon dioxide emissions are, or whether they actually help crop and plant life. If so many folks didn't think they need air conditioning here in the south, I'd have felt more strongly that efficient gas furnaces were a good option. As it is, I'm happy and excited about our choice of geothermal. Final thoughts: The electrical coops are not now members of the geothermal consortium, so aren't offering the same incentives. If there's an electric coop in your area, encourage them to join the consortium--and also the photovoltaic working group formed by utilities, which the coops also have not joined. Sherri Zann Rosenthal Eno Commons, Durham, NC Where most of the clearing and grading are done, and a third of the water system is in. Tomorrow the sewer line construction starts. Only eight more lots available, each one with its own charm.
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Ground Source Heat Pumps Jeffrey O. Hobson, November 28 1994
- Ground Source Heat Pumps Sherri Zann Rosenthal, April 7 1997
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