Greening Your Home - GSHP preparation
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focusonz
11-29-08, 04:53 AM
GSHP are the heating cooling solution for reducing cost of energy, but one should do some preparatory work.
Contractors typically size the GSHP and loop field based upon the homes current HVAC size. So before you commit to the GSHP upgrade consider the value of insulation vs the cost of tons of GSHP and associated loop size.
If you have insulated your home to R-50 ceiling and R-24 walls and stopped air infiltration after your original HVAC was sized your old HVAC is over sized now so sizing GSHP based on that is wrong. If you haven't insulated your home to R-50 ceiling and R-24 walls and stopped air infiltration. do so as part of the GSHP upgrade and have the contractor size the GSHP based on the new heating and cooling load characteristics of your home.
Simply, if insulating your home to R-50 ceiling and R-24 walls and stopping air infiltration costs less than a bore hole insulate your home and eliminate the bore hole and you will be much happier with the investment in the GSHP.
I have found those people who install GSHP in a leaky 2X4 framed exterior walls with R-11 insulation are unhappy with the GSHP performance. The performance is not the fault of the GSHP but rather the changed behavior of the home owner turning the cool way down and the heat way up because now they own and 400% efficient GSHP. I have found those people who install GSHP in tight 2X6 framed exterior wall with R-16 insulation and R-50 ceiling are happy with their GSHP investment. But they would be extremely happy if they stopped air infiltration.
Typically, the size of GSHP can be reduced by one half by doubling the insulation and eliminating air infiltration of the home.
FYI Home Energy conservation DIY check list
1. Increase Insulation, and eliminate air infiltration
2. Other home thermal performance improvements, windows, attic venting, window shading.
3. Home energy audit data collection using blower door and infrared measurements and inspection
4. heating, ventilation, air condition (HVAC) re-eneginnering to calculate new HVAC size.
5. Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) with solar thermal assist. and/or
6. Active and passive Solar Thermal (ST) whole house heating,
7. Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) new home construction
Here is block diagram of a solar assisted ground source heat pump. With this you can possibly achieve up to 900% heating efficiency and 400% cooling efficiency. Note free hot water is provided. Hydronic and forced air models are available. The Solar thermal panel is turned off during the cooling season or its energy can be diverted to a hot tub.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq170/focusonz/STastGSHP_small.gif
And possibly see your overall energy consumption reduced as in example below. This was a calculation for upper Midwest states. The home was using 80% AFUE natural gas heat and natural gas hot water and 8 EER air conditioner. No other insulation or air infiltration or other energy saving actions were taken. Your results will very.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq170/focusonz/energybeforeafter.gif
Ground Source Heat Pump GSHP information
IGSHPA | What is geothermal? (http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/geothermal/geothermal.htm)
Heat Pumps (http://www.geo4va.vt.edu/A3/A3.htm)
Ground Source Heat Pump GSHP Manufacturers
http://www.climatemaster.com/index/index
http://www.econar.com/index.htm (http://www.econar.com/index.htmhttp://www.econar.com/index.htm)
http://www.carriergeo.com/index.htm
http://www.geoexcel.com/GeoExcel.htm
http://www.geocomfort.com/calculator
http://www.fhp-mfg.com/residential.htm
http://www.waterfurnace.com/comfort_systems.aspx
http://www.heatcontroller.com/category.php?prod=ca&c=32
HVAC and GSHP CALCULATORS
http://ces.ca.uky.edu/energy/calculators.htm
http://www.udarrell.com/airconditioning_eer_ratings_over_seer_ratings_central_systems.html
http://www.geocomfort.com/calculator
Post questions here.
Contractors typically size the GSHP and loop field based upon the homes current HVAC size. So before you commit to the GSHP upgrade consider the value of insulation vs the cost of tons of GSHP and associated loop size.
If you have insulated your home to R-50 ceiling and R-24 walls and stopped air infiltration after your original HVAC was sized your old HVAC is over sized now so sizing GSHP based on that is wrong. If you haven't insulated your home to R-50 ceiling and R-24 walls and stopped air infiltration. do so as part of the GSHP upgrade and have the contractor size the GSHP based on the new heating and cooling load characteristics of your home.
Simply, if insulating your home to R-50 ceiling and R-24 walls and stopping air infiltration costs less than a bore hole insulate your home and eliminate the bore hole and you will be much happier with the investment in the GSHP.
I have found those people who install GSHP in a leaky 2X4 framed exterior walls with R-11 insulation are unhappy with the GSHP performance. The performance is not the fault of the GSHP but rather the changed behavior of the home owner turning the cool way down and the heat way up because now they own and 400% efficient GSHP. I have found those people who install GSHP in tight 2X6 framed exterior wall with R-16 insulation and R-50 ceiling are happy with their GSHP investment. But they would be extremely happy if they stopped air infiltration.
Typically, the size of GSHP can be reduced by one half by doubling the insulation and eliminating air infiltration of the home.
FYI Home Energy conservation DIY check list
1. Increase Insulation, and eliminate air infiltration
2. Other home thermal performance improvements, windows, attic venting, window shading.
3. Home energy audit data collection using blower door and infrared measurements and inspection
4. heating, ventilation, air condition (HVAC) re-eneginnering to calculate new HVAC size.
5. Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) with solar thermal assist. and/or
6. Active and passive Solar Thermal (ST) whole house heating,
7. Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) new home construction
Here is block diagram of a solar assisted ground source heat pump. With this you can possibly achieve up to 900% heating efficiency and 400% cooling efficiency. Note free hot water is provided. Hydronic and forced air models are available. The Solar thermal panel is turned off during the cooling season or its energy can be diverted to a hot tub.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq170/focusonz/STastGSHP_small.gif
And possibly see your overall energy consumption reduced as in example below. This was a calculation for upper Midwest states. The home was using 80% AFUE natural gas heat and natural gas hot water and 8 EER air conditioner. No other insulation or air infiltration or other energy saving actions were taken. Your results will very.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq170/focusonz/energybeforeafter.gif
Ground Source Heat Pump GSHP information
IGSHPA | What is geothermal? (http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/geothermal/geothermal.htm)
Heat Pumps (http://www.geo4va.vt.edu/A3/A3.htm)
Ground Source Heat Pump GSHP Manufacturers
http://www.climatemaster.com/index/index
http://www.econar.com/index.htm (http://www.econar.com/index.htmhttp://www.econar.com/index.htm)
http://www.carriergeo.com/index.htm
http://www.geoexcel.com/GeoExcel.htm
http://www.geocomfort.com/calculator
http://www.fhp-mfg.com/residential.htm
http://www.waterfurnace.com/comfort_systems.aspx
http://www.heatcontroller.com/category.php?prod=ca&c=32
HVAC and GSHP CALCULATORS
http://ces.ca.uky.edu/energy/calculators.htm
http://www.udarrell.com/airconditioning_eer_ratings_over_seer_ratings_central_systems.html
http://www.geocomfort.com/calculator
Post questions here.