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I was comparing air sourced heat pumps to traditional forced air systems. Geothermal heat pumps are much more common outside of the United States, have a much
by tcbawo 3y ago
I was comparing air sourced heat pumps to traditional forced air systems. Geothermal heat pumps are much more common outside of the United States, have a much higher upfront cost, but significantly lower operating and energy costs after the install.
My original point is that if you want to combat the climate crisis, you need to utilize the free heat source in the winter and heat sink in the summer that is the earth below us.
Drilling for this type of heat exchange is a specialized skill, requiring specific equipment. In my area, very few people do it, they have a long backlog, and they are using drilling equipment that is not produced domestically.
- toomuchtodo 3y ago> My original point is that if you want to combat the climate crisis, you need to utilize the free heat source in the winter and heat sink in the summer that is the earth below us. I believe this is a false dichotomy. Air source heat pumps can work anywhere where the weather is above -15F most of the time, but if you have the capital available and the equipment to install ground loops, that is a better option. Not everyone can install geothermal heat pumps, whereas everyone can install air source heat pumps and that is a reasonable measure to contributing towards the climate crisis. Any efficiency loss can be mitigated with more renewable or low carbon energy generation to offset the aggregate efficiency delta. We should not let perfect be the enemy of good enough.
- tcbawo 3y agoI didn’t say anything about making a choice. My point is that if you’re utilizing wartime powers to combat climate change, there are additional options left on the table. FWIW, there is a federal 30% tax credit for installing geothermal heat pumps. Not possible for everyone, but drilling vertical cores for geothermal ground loops is surprisingly accessible. However, I can’t get a driller to call me back.
- FooBarBizBazz 3y ago> I can’t get a driller to call me back. Makes mental note in case the whole software engineering thing stops working out.
- toomuchtodo 3y agoGet your HVAC license and trades education instead, there is decades of work ahead installing heat pumps and the work can be done anywhere in the world. Way easier than acquiring a drilling rig and being constrained to a geography and its local economic trajectory. Just my two cents from the perspective of optimizing for optionality. If you’re retired or are otherwise financially independent and are just looking for a hobby, buying a drilling rig and digging water wells and ground loops is not a terrible option.