Today's
TECHNOLOGY AND YOU

Geothermal — Earth friendly energy miser

Q: I recently heard about earth-friendly geothermal heat pumps that can cut my utility bills year-round. How do they work and will they provide comfortable heating and air-conditioning? - Michael M.

A: A geothermal heat pump is an ideal year-round system for almost every home. If you now have an old heat pump, you will be amazed at how comfortably warm the heat is from a geothermal heat pump. In the summer, it can provide plenty of low-cost cooling, even on the hottest afternoons.

These systems are extremely efficient. In the winter, for each $1 on your utility bills, you get up to $4 worth of heat ($3 free heat from the earth). Basically, a geothermal heat pump uses the ground around your house for its heating and cooling capacity. Over its life, a geothermal heat pump can save thousands of dollars and be less expensive than oil or propane.

In the summer, the savings are also great. Whereas your old central air-conditioner may have an efficiency of 8.0, some geothermal heat pumps have efficiencies as high as 20, Even more important is the steady cooling capacity for comfort and good dehumidification (for allergy sufferers).

A geothermal heat pump can also cut your water heating costs substantially. In the summer, an optional desuperheater diverts the waste heat from the air-conditioner to the water heater. This provides free hot water as a by-product of air-conditioning. During the winter, the geothermal heat pump can use the ground to heat your water at half the current costs.

Geothermal heat pumps attain high efficiency because the ground temperature stays fairly constant year-round. You can imagine how much easier and more efficient it is to draw heat from the ground at 50 degrees than from the frigid outdoor air. In the summer, the situation is reversed and the cooling output remains high no matter how hot the weather is.

Most geothermal heat pumps use a water/antifreeze-filled plastic pipe loop buried in your yard. This earth loop is used instead of the typical noisy outdoor condenser fan unit. This results in a simpler system with the small, quiet mechanical unit located indoors (garage, utility room or basement) for protection. If you have wells or a pond, they can be used instead of the ground loop.

There are many designs of geothermal heat pumps to choose from depending on your budget, yard and specific needs. The ground pipes are normally buried in a very narrow horizontal trench dug with a backhoe or ditcher. If your yard is small, the pipes can be placed in vertical holes drilled into the ground. Both methods are equally effective if designed properly.

For the best comfort and efficiency, select a geothermal heat pump with multi-level (two or three) heating and cooling outputs. Two-level output models use either two small compressors or a single two-speed compressor and a variable-speed blower. This allows them to adjust the output to match the changing heating and cooling needs of your house.

James Dulley is a mechanical engineer who writes on a wide variety of energy and utility topics. His column appears in a large number of daily newspapers.

Copyright 1998 James Dulley

18 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING JULY 1998

Three-level models use two different-sized compressors. In mild weather, they run on the smallest compressor. In moderate weather, they run on the larger compressor. In severely hot or cold weather, the two compressors run simultaneously. These types of units are ideal for warm humid climates where summertime dehumidification is as important as actual cooling.

In cold climates these multi-level heat pumps are an excellent fit. The high-output level is sized to the maximum heating requirement. In the summer, with the lower air-conditioning requirements, it runs in the low-output level for excellent comfort.

Geothermal heat pumps are available as complete systems with blowers, air cleaners, water heaters, etc. If your budget is limited and your existing furnace or heat pump blower still works, you can install just the compressor unit and loop and use your existing equipment.

For more information on geothermal heat pumps call your local electric co-op or your local heat pump dealer (see ads on pages 9 and 31.)

Write for Utility Bills Update No. 793 - buyer's guide of 15 single and multi-level geothermal heat pumps, efficiencies, outputs, features and a fuel cost comparison chart. Please include $2 (with check payable to Jim Dulley) and a business-size SASE. Mail to: Jim Dulley, Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. For instant download, go to http://www.dulley.com

JULY 1998 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 19

Illinois
FUNNYBONE

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank — proving once and for all that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too!

An Eskimo won a trip to New York as a prize for catching the most seal in a season. When he returned home, he brought with him a length of pipe, which he set up in his igloo so it protruded through the roof.

His wife asked what it was for and he replied, "That's a trick I learned in New York. When you want more heat, you bang on this pipe."

A seven-year-old made coffee for his grandma who thought it was the worst cup of coffee in her life. When she got to the bottom, there were three little green army men in the cup.

She said, "Honey, what are the army men doing in my coffee?"

Her grandson piped up, "Grandma, it says on TV, the best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup!"

Written on a tombstone
     As you are, I once was.
     As I am, you soon shall be.
     So prepare yourself, to follow me.
(Someone had scribbled in chalk)
     To follow you, I can't consent,
     Because I know not
     which way you went!

Is there a joke in YOUR family (that's proper for a family magazine)? Illinois Country Living pays $5.00 for each joke chosen for Illinois Funnybone. Send your humorous story to Illinois Funnybone, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708-3787.

20 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING JULY 1998