Benefits and Barriers for Ground Source Heat Pumps--
Benefits—--
There are multiple benefits to installing/owning a GSHP, but this (like anything else) has to be compared to the alternative. If you didn't have one, what would you be using? If that alternative (or what it's been costing you) is cause for considering a change, then you are smart to look at GSHPs.
Don't just take Bill's word for it. Look at these reasons complied by Egg and Howard in their book Geothermal HVAC, published in 2010 with 272 pages:
Don't just take Bill's word for it. Look at these reasons complied by Egg and Howard in their book Geothermal HVAC, published in 2010 with 272 pages:
1. Superior comfort
2. Unbeatable energy savings 3. Quiet operation 4. Three times the longevity of standard A/C by removal of outdoor condenser 5. Government incentives (current 30% federal tax credit expires 12-31-16) 6. Nearly "free" domestic hot water pre-heat 7. Unit can fit inside a home's interior closet |
Egg and Howard's list is focused narrowly on benefits to the consumer who installs a GSHP. But there are other social benefits to everyone if you choose such a system. Less fossil-based energy will be burned for residential heating and to make the electricity for heating or cooling. Less greenhouse gas emissions will result. Rejecting summer heat into the ground (some of which may be retrieved in winter) will prevent a "heat island" phenomenon, letting your neighbors' A/C work against cooler ambient air. Your operating cost savings may be spent on investments for a more secure retirement, community activism, a renewable electricity system for your home, or other pursuits of value to you. Lastly, your self-education about ground source and leadership with an installation at your home may become responsible for many others asking you questions and following your lead. That means less pressure on the nation's electric grid and lower future infrastructure costs for all of us.
And remember, ground source heating and cooling is the only mechanism that can make use of a contribution by other renewable electricity generation to the grid. So when you heat and cool with dirt or subterranean water, a likely increasing share of the electricity you consume could actually come from renewable sources. You've got a perpetual, benign "oil well" in your back yard—use it!
And remember, ground source heating and cooling is the only mechanism that can make use of a contribution by other renewable electricity generation to the grid. So when you heat and cool with dirt or subterranean water, a likely increasing share of the electricity you consume could actually come from renewable sources. You've got a perpetual, benign "oil well" in your back yard—use it!
See more of the benefits by accessing video clips at the GeoExchange Forum. This website carries government, commercial, and residential installations of ground source heat pump technology. They are high quality video productions with good graphics and lengthy details.
Barriers—--
There are many barriers that hold back an expansion of the use of ground source heat pump technology. These barriers are independent of peaks and slumps in housing construction. The list below is your Web Host's list. Below that is an abstract of a 2008 Department of Energy report which analyzed reasons why GSHP technology hasn't further penetrated the HVAC market by now. (The government has considerable GSHP retrofit experience on military bases and is very pleased with the results.) There is also a link by which you can access the full DOE report, online.
Bill's list of reasons for slow GSHP market expansion:
1. Higher initial capital cost due to expense for ground loop installation
2. Lack of knowledge and/or understanding by consumers 3. Lack of marketing by installers and manufacturers of GSHPs 4. Reluctance by builders to deviate from conventional HVAC 5. Low density of installations and of qualified installing contractors 6. Lack of understanding by general public and policymakers how GSHPs are environmental "game changers." |
Geothermal (Ground-Source) Heat Pumps: Market Status, Barriers to Adoption,
and Actions to Overcome Barriers
December 2008
Prepared by Patrick J. Hughes
Energy and Transportation Science Division
Sponsored by EERE Geothermal Technologies Program
U.S. Department of Energy
Abstract
More effective stewardship of our resources contributes to the security, environmental sustainability, and economic well-being of the nation. Buildings present one of the best opportunities to economically reduce energy consumption and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), sometimes called ground-source heat pumps, have been proven capable of producing large reductions in energy use and peak demand in buildings. However, GHPs have received little attention at the policy level as an important component of a national strategy. Have policymakers mistakenly overlooked GHPs, or are GHPs simply unable to make a major contribution to the national goals for various reasons? This brief study was undertaken at DOE’s request to address this conundrum. The scope of the study includes determining the status of global GHP markets and the status of the GHP industry and technology in the United States, assembling previous estimates of GHP energy savings potential, identifying key barriers to application of GHPs, and identifying actions that could accelerate market adoption of GHPs. The findings are documented in this report along with conclusions and recommendations.
and Actions to Overcome Barriers
December 2008
Prepared by Patrick J. Hughes
Energy and Transportation Science Division
Sponsored by EERE Geothermal Technologies Program
U.S. Department of Energy
Abstract
More effective stewardship of our resources contributes to the security, environmental sustainability, and economic well-being of the nation. Buildings present one of the best opportunities to economically reduce energy consumption and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), sometimes called ground-source heat pumps, have been proven capable of producing large reductions in energy use and peak demand in buildings. However, GHPs have received little attention at the policy level as an important component of a national strategy. Have policymakers mistakenly overlooked GHPs, or are GHPs simply unable to make a major contribution to the national goals for various reasons? This brief study was undertaken at DOE’s request to address this conundrum. The scope of the study includes determining the status of global GHP markets and the status of the GHP industry and technology in the United States, assembling previous estimates of GHP energy savings potential, identifying key barriers to application of GHPs, and identifying actions that could accelerate market adoption of GHPs. The findings are documented in this report along with conclusions and recommendations.