Posted by Rifat A. on 7/25/2020 to

Homeowners get confused about which type of heat pumps they should buy for their home and office space. If you buy a natural gas or fuel oil heat pump, the operating cost will be lower, but you’ll need a good exhaust system as this type of heat pump produces a lot of emissions. On the other hand, with an electric heat pump, you won’t have to think about the exhaust system. That’s why more and more homeowners are buying electric heat pumps for their homes.

In this article, I’ll tell you about two types of electric heat pumps and their advantages.

Electric Heat Pump Types & Advantages

1. Geothermal Heat Pump

If you live in an area where temperature drops suddenly or there’s a huge difference between the temperature at night and day then this heat pump HVAC system is for you. A geothermal heat pump is also known as a water resource heat pump HVAC system.

With a geothermal heat pump, you can enjoy maximum heat efficiency throughout the winter. When you use an air source heat pump, you may not get the desired heating from the HVAC system because, during the coldest months, the air becomes dry. In those days, it gets very difficult for the air source heat pump to produce hot air from the dry and cold air. As a result, you won’t get the desired cooling from the air source heat pump HVAC system.

On the other hand, the geothermal heat pump extracts heat directly from the ground. As the temperature of the ground almost stays constant throughout the year, your geothermal heat pump won’t have to work hard to produce the desired heating for your home and office.

Apart from the ground, geothermal heat pump HVAC system extracts heat from nearby water resources like a pond or river. That’s why many people call the geothermal heat pump as water resource heat pump.

If you’re looking for an energy-efficient electric heat pump then the geo thermal heat pump is the go-to option. With a geothermal heat pump, you can save more than 70% compared to other electric heat pump HVAC systems. Again, if you buy a more energy-efficient geothermal heat pump, you can save more than 80% on heating bills.

Geothermal heat pumps can be classified into two more types. These are-

Closed-Loop Heat Pump System

In this type of geothermal heat pump, there’s a closed-loop pipe that circulates between the ground and the heat pump; it never mixes with the water resource or ponds. In many states, there are restrictions and guidelines for geothermal heat pumps. When you use a geothermal heat pump, and if you don’t do regular maintenance checkups, toxic elements from your heat pump can mix with the water resource and pollute the water. If this happens, you’ll have to pay hefty fines. If you don’t want this happen, you should go for a closed-loop heat pump HVAC system.

Open Loop Heat Pump System

The open-loop heat pump system has a pipe which connects the groundwater and the heat pump. If your state has a strict regulation about geothermal heat pumps, you shouldn’t use this type of heat pump.

The advantages of geothermal heat pumps.

You won’t need a separate heat exhaust pipe to operate the heat pump
Highly energy-efficient compared to other electric heat pumps
You’ll get the desired heating from geothermal heat pump at minimum cost

2. Air Source Heat Pump

As the name suggests, air source heat pump extracts heat from the air. It works like an air conditioner, but it produces heat instead of cold air. Again, just like an air conditioner, an air source heat pump HVAC system comes with a packaged system or split system. If your home or office space already has ductwork then you should go for an air source heat pump. Otherwise, to use the air source heat pump, you’ll have to install the ductwork and then you can use the air source heat pump.

The advantages of an air source heat pump.