Ground Source Heat Pump
If you are building a new home or thinking of replacing your current electric forced air furnace, you should consider making the switch to a ground source heat pump (GSHP). GSHPs work by pulling heat out of the earth and moving it into your house, concentrating that heat and disbursing it within the living space. The key to a GSHP’s efficiency is the fact that it doesn’t make heat like a traditional furnace, rather it moves heat from one place to another which uses far less energy than burning a fuel source or converting electricity to heat by means of resistance. GSHPs depend on the fact that at a certain depth, the ground temperature stays relatively constant.
A basic GSHP consists of three main components:
• Loop Field: the loop field can consist of either a system of buried plastic tubing which circulates a glycol solution from the ground through a heat pump and back outside in a closed loop, or a series of wells that draw water from the ground pass it through a heat pump, and then dump the water back into the ground (open loop).
• Heat Pump: the heat pump takes the heat from outside and using a compressor unit indoors concentrates the heat before disbursing it throughout the house.
• Distribution System: the distribution system could take the shape of either a duct system that circulates heated air or an in floor radiant system which circulates a heated fluid inside the floor.
The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have both endorsed ground source heat pump systems as among the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating, cooling, and water heating systems available. Although GSHPs have higher initial purchase an installation costs when compared to traditional furnaces, when you consider the current MEC incentive, state and federal tax incentives, and lower operating costs of GSHPs, these systems begin to make real economic sense.
So if you think a GSHP may be in your future please contact a member of our Energy Sense team for more information on how to receive an incentive from MEC. If you would like to view a list of MEC approved GSHP installation contractors click here.
*For installations in existing homes, a GSHP must replace and electric forced air furnace or air source heat pump. No incentives for installing a GSHP to replace any other type of heating system or for replacing an existing GSHP that is no longer operable.