Fighting rising CO2 levels and ensuring energy security for the future has been a hot topic in environmental science for a while. Solar and wind energy is popular, and with many governments offering subsidies for renewable energy sources, can be an economical way to reduce your carbon footprint and your heating and cooling costs.
But these sources of energy have a few drawbacks when it comes to reliable service, since these methods require consistent weather conditions in order to operate at maximum capacity. Geothermal heating and energy works in any weather condition, making sure that you remain powered and warm when you need it the most. But what kind of geothermal energy solution is right for you?
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Ground source heat pumps use plastic tubing that is installed under your yard in the soil or ground water to heat and cool a mixture of water and glycol. The process of evaporation and condensation provides energy and heat for your air and water. As long as nothing is built over the pipes (you can’t put them under a building or poured concrete), the solar energy from the sun and from rainfall provides a constant renewable energy source that will keep your electrical grid up and running and make sure that you remain warm all through the winter months.
Exhaust Air Heat Pumps
In newer homes, an easy and economical option for heating is to take the already warm air that gets ventilated out of your home and reuse the energy before it leaves. Installation and the purchase of an exhaust air heat pump by NIBE out of Markaryd, Sweden, is about half of the cost of a traditional electric boiler that comes with a mechanical exhaust air ventilation system. Better yet, once it’s installed, all of the energy that comes from it is completely free. This product works in residences and building measuring up to 200 square meters.
Air/Water Heat Pumps
This system works very similarly to the ground source pumps, but instead of using pipes under the ground, these systems use the heat and solar energy that’s trapped in the air around your house. This system is excellent if you’re dealing with extremely cold conditions, like the ones that you find in Nordic countries. The pumps pay for themselves quickly, as these are some of the most efficient heating and energy sources available, and they can work even down to temperatures of -25 degrees Celsius.
Air/Air Heat Pumps
If you already have a source of heat in your home, such as a wood-burning stove, then don’t let that heat go to waste! The NIBE ARIA air/air heat pumps will circulate heat throughout a structure evenly, so you can re-purpose waste energy from other sources in an economical way. These models can heat a structure up to 180 square meters, and has a built-in sensor that detects when the heat source turns off (say, when your stove runs out of wood and stops producing heat) and it will turn off as well.
You can even monitor and control your heating system from your smart phone!
Article Submitted By Community Writer