GEOTHERMAL AND WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMPS

For our unique South Bay climate, heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners. During the summer heat pumps operate like a normal air conditioner. They transfer heat from the home to the atmosphere.

During the heating season, this process is reversed and the heat pump moves heat from the cool outdoors into your warm house. Because they transfer heat rather than generate heat, heat pumps can provide significant savings over other forms of heat.

The most common type of heat pump is the air-source heat pump, which transfers heat between your house and the outside air. If you heat with electricity, a heat pump can trim the amount of electricity you use for heating by as much as 30%–40%. High-efficiency heat pumps also dehumidify better than standard central air conditioners, resulting in less energy usage and more cooling comfort in summer months.

Higher efficiencies are achieved with geothermal (ground-source or water-source) heat pumps, which transfer heat between your house and the ground. This is accomplished by burying the refrigerant piping transferring heat underground or a nearby water source.

Although they cost more to install, geothermal heat pumps have low operating costs because they take advantage of relatively constant ground or water temperatures. However, the installation depends on the size of your lot, the subsoil and landscape. Ground-source or water-source heat pumps can be used in more extreme climatic conditions than air-source heat pumps, and customer satisfaction with the systems is very high.

Another big advantage of ground source or water source heat pumps is the elimination of the noisy condensing unit.