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WOODED LOTS - vertical loop may be the answer- a well rig bores holes downward, but the cost is substantially increased. |
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CLEAR LOTS- horizontal loops buried in trenches are common, if soil is suitably moist. |
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| Answers Are Just Below The Surface Fluctuating costs for electricity, natural gas and even heating oil are one thing the homeowner can always count on. And, let’s face it, they never seem to go down. It always seems to be on the rise. All of this means higher utility costs and greater expenses in heating or cooling the home. Wouldn’t it be nice to know there was an alternative way to heat and cool the home that was not only cost-effective but environmentally friendly as well? What if this system could also cut your energy costs by at least 30% and reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels? It sounds complicated but the answer is easy. Just look below the surface - the surface of the earth. Comfort You Can Feel Balanced, continuous comfort may be felt year round when your home contains a ground-source (geothermal) system. Comfort that is not only felt, but also seen through energy cost savings on your utility bills. Command Aire is one of the leading residential ground-source heat pump providers and has a long history of successfully incorporating their units as the driving force behind any geothermal application. With Trane, you can expect equipment that includes such options as a self-adjusting air flow control, virtually free domestic hot water heating (when in cooling modes), and standard unit components specifically selected to lengthen the equipment’s life-span. All of this packaged and connected to the earth for a renewable energy resource to provide you with one of the greatest energy savings systems available in heating and air conditioning. Renewable energy that is not only easy on the pocketbook, but also easy on the environment. Command Aire geothermal systems are buried treasure for the homeowner Command Aire geothermal systems can help reduce energy consumption in your home by 30% to 50% © 2002 American Standard Inc. Command Aire geothermal HVAC systems are easy on your pocketbook and the environment • It Pays For Itself The high efficiency of the Trane geothermal system can lead to a payback within two to five years through energy savings. Homeowners typically save 30-50% in annual energy costs and some have experienced up to 70% savings. • It’s Earth Friendly The air-tight network of underground piping circulates water or environmentally responsible antifreeze solution that never comes in contact with the earth. This system produces no combustion or smoke, helping lower greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere. Plus, there is no concern over carbon monoxide released into the home. Geothermal also significantly reduces our dependence on non-renewable supply of fossil fuels. • It’s Easy To Maintain Ground-source heat pumps have few maintenance requirements. The heat pump is placed inside your home, protecting it from out door elements and trash that can clog-up outdoor equipment or damage electrical components. They use fewer mechanical components, making them durable and reliable. When properly installed, the underground components are virtually worryfree. • It’s A System That Lasts Underground piping often has 25- to 50-year warranties, and groundsource heat pumps themselves typically last more than 20 years. • It Preserves Your Home’s Aesthetic Value The piping for the geothermal system is hidden beneath your lawn or driveway. Since the heat pump is contained within the house, there is no need for any outdoor equipment and the noise associated with them. • It Provides Free Hot Water With all Command Aire heat pump models, a hot water heater connection is available. This option utilizes excess heat normally absorbed by the earth to heat water, reducing the amount of electricity or gas consumed by your hot water heater. In summer months, your hot water is virtually free. Year-round, these systems make hot water abundant and up to 30% less expensive. • It Works Almost Anywhere & In Any Climate Geothermal systems work in almost any geographical location. The system is also equally effective in either cooling or heating mode - depending on your home’s need and location. Regardless of heating or cooling need, the geothermal system is a cost-effective alternative to traditional gas, heating oil, propane or electrical systems. Due to dry sand conditions, desert regions are the only geographical areas where geothermal systems are ineffective. Why should I choose geothermal? GSUJ Vertical heat pump GSSD split or waterside condensing unit GSHC Horizontal heat pump GSWD water-to-water unit Superior heat pumps are the heart of geothermal system efficiency What About the Heat Pump For the geothermal system to work, the ground-source heat exchanger must be attached to a heat pump. The heat pump circulates water through pipes buried in a continuous loop to absorb, or give up heat from the home and transfer it into the earth. Command Aire offers multiple styles of heat pumps to fit every application. Our models include: The GSUJ, GSHC, GSWD and GSSD. The GSUJ model is a highly efficient vertical standing water-to-air heat pump designed for installation in a closet, basement or garage. This model contains many features in comfort control. One feature is the unit’s ability to self-adjust airflow to meet comfort needs. The GSHC model is also a high efficiency water-to-air design typically installed in the attic of a home. It provides the same comfort features as the GSUJ model only in a horizontal arrangement. The GSSD model is a waterside only unit. The allows the homeowner the ability to locate the waterside of the heat pump in a garage or basement near the hot water heater, and the air side (ordered separately) inside a closet or attic. The GSSD model is also a highly efficient heat pump. The GSWD model is a water-to-water heat pump used in high volume water heating or cooling. A typical installation may include radiant floor heating. With radiant heating, piping is installed in the sub-flooring of the home. The heat pump then exchanges heat from within the ground and transfers that heat into the radiant slab loop. The occupant comfort is increased because a person’s body temperature does not lose heat trying to warm a cold surface. A comfortable temperature over an entire floor is provided rather than hot air from registers or baseboards. And because radiant systems do not heat air, they are not affected as much by infiltration. For every $1 spent on electricity, Command Aire geothermal units create $3 worth of electrical heat output “We’re seeing nearly a 50-percent reduction in electricity costs over our other heating and air conditioning system.” - Mark Luckie, Texas Home Owner Geothermal at work For Mark Luckie and his family of central Texas, their new home was a dream come true. The 2,500-sq. ft. white Austin limestone home constructed in 2000 sits atop 6 acres in Oglesby, Texas. When construction of the home began, Mark decided to install a geothermal HVAC system. With the harsh Texas summers, Mark wanted a system that could help keep electrical costs down and still maintain an adequate comfort level within the home. “With the vaulted ceilings and large open spaces in the house, I knew there would be a challenge keeping the house cool. After doing some research, I felt a geothermal system would meet all of our needs,” says Mark. Vertical system The Luckie’s chose a vertical loop system with Trane 4-ton GSSD and TWE air-handling units to circulate the air. The vertical loop contains five wells at 250 ft. deep. Regular configurations for this system call for one well per ton. However, the Luckie’s elected to install an extra well for increased efficiency. Each well was drilled and is currently under the front yard of the house. “We liked the fact we could put the well field in our front yard and forget the well field is even there,” Mark adds. The GSSD and TWE units are housed in a utility closet in the garage. Mark said this was a positive because the units are not exposed to outside weather conditions and are easy to access for any type of service issue. Immediate Payback After the system’s first full year of operation (2001), the Luckies were enjoying utility bills lower than those in their previous, smaller home. During the peak summer months (June-Aug.), bills ranged from $88.00 to $122.00. Similar results were also found during the winter as well (See chart below for details). “We’re seeing nearly a 50-percent reduction in electricity costs over our other heating and air conditioning system,” Mark says, adding the house is generally kept at 73OF year-round. The GSSD unit was also equipped with a desuperheater which provides free hot water for the home during the summer months, further dropping electrical costs. The Luckie’s also received rebates and incentives from their local electrical co-op for installing a geothermal system. This is not unique to Texas. Many states and electric companies offer incentives for installing energy saving systems. “Installing a geothermal system is one of the smartest things we could have done. I would recommend geothermal to anyone,” Mark says. Geothermal system was right choice for Texas homeowner 2001 Luckie Family Electric Costs and Consumption Chart Literature Order Number Date Supersedes Stocking Location Since The Trane Company has a policy of continuous product and product data improvement, it reserves the right to change design and specifications without notice. The Trane Company An American Standard Company www.trane.com For more information contact your local sales office or e-mail us at comfort@trane.com WSHP-SLB029-EN March 2003 New La Crosse To use the earth as a heat source, a series of pipe – commonly called a loop - is buried in the ground. This buried pipe is a high-density polyethylene plastic, which is also used to pipe natural gas and underground conduit for telecommunication lines. The pipes are filled with water or environmentally responsible antifreeze solution that acts as a heat exchange medium. The different loops may be broken into four variations: More About the Types of Ground Loop (Geothermal) Systems... A vertical loop system, where small diameter closed-loop piping is buried 50 to 400 feet deep and connected via headers to bring fluid to and from the heat pump. A vertical loop design is used when the soil conditions are not conducive to trenching, the land area is limited, or the soil is rocky. A horizontal loop system, also a closed-loop design, uses long horizontal loops buried 4 to 6 feet below the surface. The buried pipe is arranged within a trench in single pipe to multiple pipe designs. A slinky loop system uses an existing pond or the ground as a heat exchanger. The slinky loop is a flattened, overlapped, circular coiled, closed loop-heat exchanger. The loop may be installed in a horizontal or vertical fashion. An open loop system uses ground water from a well to exchange heat. The ground water is pumped from the well into the ground-source heat pump where heat is extracted or rejected and then returned to an aquifer. Vertical Loop System Open Well System Slinky Loop SystemClosed Loop Vertical Bores are available for wooded lots or very small lots. Added costs apply. _____________________________ Horizontal loops are available for soil that holds moisture at 5 feet. Damp heavy clay is ideal -sand or gravel is not. |
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