Ground Source Heat Pump Efficiency 

When people are interested in ground source heat pump efficiency, they're generally most interested in it because they want to know how much money a given pump will save them versus other means of heating and cooling. There are a few basic rules that you can follow to determine this but, in reality, you'll have to have your individual situation look at by an expert to determine what the most efficient ground source heat pump for your situation would be. Here are some basics about the systems, however, that can provide you with an idea.

Versus Other Sources

According to several sources, ground source heat pump efficiency can end up saving the user 30-60% on their bills compared to what they’d pay for natural gas powered heating. Of course, given that natural gas is one of the more efficient fossil fuel sources of energy, that’s a significant amount of savings. The most efficient ground source heat pump models may well end up saving the user more than this in terms of what they pay for heating and cooling.

Some experts break the efficiency down differently and in a way that will be relevant to those homeowners who are curious about the high costs of installing geothermal heating. Ground source heat pump efficiency will usually result in a system installed in a roughly 2000 square foot home paying for its own installation costs within four years. Beyond that, the system will be technically going into the negative as far as costs are concerned, because it will have already justified its own expense. This is a powerful way to look at ground source heat pump efficiency.

Overall Efficiency

You can get a good idea of the overall ground source heat pump efficiency by looking at what certifications the device comes with. For instance, if it’s an Energy Star qualified heat pump, it means that the device is over 45 percent more efficient than most of the options out there on the market. This measure of efficiency can give you a very good idea of how the unit you’re considering fares against other types.

The most efficient ground source heat pump options will be eligible for federal tax credits for those who buy them. This is a great way to get back some of the money for installation and to start reaping the benefits of geothermal energy sooner. It encourages people to go with the most efficient ground source heat pump they can find, which helps the environment even more!

You can speak with an installer to get an idea of the efficiency of any ground source heat pump that you’re considering having installed, as well. If you have a geothermal system installed already, upgrading the heat pump is a good way to get even more savings out of it and to make sure that your investment is paying off as much as is possible. With a good pump, your system will provide reliable heating without having to pay higher operating costs, on top of the savings that geothermal already offers!

by - Phillip Rye

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