“Heat Pump” is a generic term to describe moving heat from one place to another. You are familiar with heat pumps though you may not have heard the term. A refrigerator is a heat pump that pumps heat from the interior of the refrigerator to the air in the room. In the same way, air conditioners move heat from inside the building to the outside using a refrigeration system to cool the air inside the house and heat the air outside. Ground source heat pumps work on the same principle but exchange heat with the ground rather than the air. This technology is appropriate for new or existing homes and can reduce the cost of heating and cooling substantially.
The in-ground system heat exchanger is comprised of up to 12 borings, 8ft. apart, 6½ inches in diameter and 50 feet deep filled with a water proof, thermally conductive grout. In the center of each boring are 1/4” and a 1/8” connected copper tube which either extracts heat or delivers heat to the grout and then to the ground. The heat pump working fluid is NU22B, a replacement for conventional refrigerants developed by Brookhaven Laboratories for the Department of Energy. It has a working range from -20ºF to +120ºF (making it a better choice than air or water). It is non-toxic and has a zero ozone depletion rating. Because it is not soluble in water and does not attach to soil, NU22B is completely safe for use underground.
HOW DOES IT FIT INTO MY HOME?
The in-home portion of the system depends on the heating and cooling system in the home today. Homes with forced air systems need only replace the A-coil in the air handler. If there is in-floor or hot water heat, the heat pump can provide hot water for these systems without other modifications to the existing systems. Also, swimming pools are a great place to put hot or cool water harvested by a heat pump.
