People commonly use air conditioning systems and heaters to cool their homes during summer and warm it during winter. The effectiveness of such systems have been proven through time and never failed in helping us live comfortably. But there are also problems associated with using such systems that are really worth considering such as cost and impact to the environment. Because of this, ground source heat pumps or geothermal pumps are becoming more and more popular among several homes and buildings worldwide.
It is known that heating and cooling are energy intensive operations and are thus relatively expensive and is responsible for a large portion of an average household's expenses. Also today, due to the increasing awareness of people about environment issues, the impact of using heaters and air conditioners on the environment is often questioned. These facts are probably among the major reasons behind the development of geothermal pumps.
You might have already heard the word geothermal in the news or might have read it in the newspapers but what exactly is geothermal and for this particular matter, what is a geothermal pump? A geothermal pump makes use of the heat generated by the earth to provide heating and air condition. Tubing with a system of loops is usually placed underground around the house or building. Water or a frost resistant liquid is pumped through these tubing to extract from or divert heat to the ground.
Contrary to what it is called, these systems are not only heater but also air conditioners. Geothermal pumps cool a household or a building in the same way as a refrigerator cools food inside it. The pump extracts excess heat inside the house or building and channels it to the earth. This channeled heat is not lost but is instead stored and can be used for other purposes.
There are two kinds of this system, the open and closed loop. These terms refer to the cycle of fluid through the tubing and are also defined by the fluid used. For an open loop, water is pumped from a natural or artificial source of water through the tubing and is then returned to the source.
The other type is the closed loop system. As in a closed loop, the liquid, which is a freezing resistant liquid, is circulated through the tubing repeatedly giving the system the capability to act both as a heat sink and source.
As mentioned earlier, geothermal systems utilize existing heat from the Earth instead of generating it on its own so it is generated cheaper in this way. Furthermore, these kinds of pumps have less moving parts which results in cheaper maintenance.
Ground source heat pumps are also environment friendly since it generates less carbon dioxide and does not emit any harmful gas or chemicals during the warming and cooling process. And because of the ever worsening problem about environmental hazards worldwide, there might come a time when the use of such systems will be commonplace worldwide.
It is known that heating and cooling are energy intensive operations and are thus relatively expensive and is responsible for a large portion of an average household's expenses. Also today, due to the increasing awareness of people about environment issues, the impact of using heaters and air conditioners on the environment is often questioned. These facts are probably among the major reasons behind the development of geothermal pumps.
You might have already heard the word geothermal in the news or might have read it in the newspapers but what exactly is geothermal and for this particular matter, what is a geothermal pump? A geothermal pump makes use of the heat generated by the earth to provide heating and air condition. Tubing with a system of loops is usually placed underground around the house or building. Water or a frost resistant liquid is pumped through these tubing to extract from or divert heat to the ground.
Contrary to what it is called, these systems are not only heater but also air conditioners. Geothermal pumps cool a household or a building in the same way as a refrigerator cools food inside it. The pump extracts excess heat inside the house or building and channels it to the earth. This channeled heat is not lost but is instead stored and can be used for other purposes.
There are two kinds of this system, the open and closed loop. These terms refer to the cycle of fluid through the tubing and are also defined by the fluid used. For an open loop, water is pumped from a natural or artificial source of water through the tubing and is then returned to the source.
The other type is the closed loop system. As in a closed loop, the liquid, which is a freezing resistant liquid, is circulated through the tubing repeatedly giving the system the capability to act both as a heat sink and source.
As mentioned earlier, geothermal systems utilize existing heat from the Earth instead of generating it on its own so it is generated cheaper in this way. Furthermore, these kinds of pumps have less moving parts which results in cheaper maintenance.
Ground source heat pumps are also environment friendly since it generates less carbon dioxide and does not emit any harmful gas or chemicals during the warming and cooling process. And because of the ever worsening problem about environmental hazards worldwide, there might come a time when the use of such systems will be commonplace worldwide.
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