Sizing Geothermal Heat Pumps
and Geothermal Heat Pumps Price
How can properly sizing your HVAC system save you $1000's?

Having decided on what type of heating you have decided to have in your home, you have made the choice of geothermal heating.   Geothermal heating is a great and cost effective way of heating your home in those cold winter months.   The one important thing you need to remember when buying a geothermal heating system, you want to size the geothermal heat pump.   Basically, sizing a geothermal heat pump is probably the most important thing you can do for your heating system and the best way you can keep your heating and cooling costs low.   Under-sizing and over-sizing a heat pump can first raise the heating and cooling costs of your home, and over-sizing your heat pump can cause your home to become too hot and humid, as well as making it very uncomfortable.  

Typically, how the geothermal heating pump works is by having a heating coil that is filled with either water or antifreeze. This fluid is then circulated into the ground where it is heated and then brought back up to heat either water or air. In a geothermal unit that heats water, the coils circulate in a tank which holds water that is then pumped into heating coils or radiators which are affixed to the walls in the individual rooms.   An air-heated geothermal system works very similarly to a forced air heating system, but without the gas fire.   Instead of the fire heating the air, the fan blows air heated from the heating coils that run the fluids heated from under the ground. 

Now, as we have covered above, sizing geothermal heat pumps is important for the type of home you have and you should consult a geothermal heating or HVAC specialist before having a too large or too small heat pump installed in your home, you also need to factor in other costs involved. Basically the initial costs involved when looking into the geothermal heat pump’s price include three things. Installation, the pump itself, and energy costs.   The most expensive cost that can be factored into the geothermal heat pumps price is the purchase and installation of the pump.   You need to hire a special excavator who specializes in geothermal heating systems to install the unit.   Typically, installing the geothermal heat pump involves installing the coils under the ground and the pump itself.    

When it comes to the geothermal heat pump’s price, the energy and utilities costs are low. First, there are no fossil fuels to burn, no gas, no oil.   This is a big cut in your energy costs, since you are harvesting the natural heat from the ground.   The only utilities costs that you will incur with geothermal energy is the electricity to power the heat pump. This is one of the reasons why sizing your geothermal heat pump can have an adverse affect on your overall energy costs.   If the geothermal heat pump is too big, the electrical components, such as the pump that circulates the heating fluids through the coils will have to work harder.   Furthermore, a large heat pump for a small house will also overheat your home.    

Likewise, a smaller heat pump might not move enough of the fluids through the coils to keep the home warm enough in the wintertime.   For this reason, if you are not familiar with geothermal heating systems and you are planning to install one in your home, you should consult a geothermal expert in your area who can give you the expert advice in the proper sizing of a geothermal heat pump to ensure that you are not over-sizing or under-sizing your heat pump and can take full advantage of the benefits of geothermal heating. 

Are you building a home and looking for a custom floor plan using geothermal heat pumps?  Visit my home design site at www.rye-homes.com for more information.

by  - Phillip Rye

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 Tags: sizing geothermal heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps price, costs of geothermal energy