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Choosing Between an Air-Source and Ground-Source Heat Pump
comments (1) July 10th, 2012 in Blogs
Scott Gibson, contributing writer
Ductless minisplit A ductless minisplit system includes an outdoor condensor and one or more indoor fan-coil units, but no dedicated duct system. They are more efficient than conventional air-source heat pumps.
Building in Climate Zone 6, where cold temperatures should be expected, Dana is weighing his options for a heating and cooling system, and it's narrowed down to either an air-source or a ground-source heat pump.
Both systems have their advantages. Air-source devices are much less expensive to install. Ground-source heat pumps don't lose as much efficiency in very low temperatures. And there's a hybird option--ductless mini-splits, which are a type of air-source heat pump that use a central condensor to serve several fan-coil units.
Dana's post in the GreenBuildingAdvisor Q&A forum draws a number of replies. Some favor the ground-source route because of their better cold-weather efficiency, and because they allow more precise control of conditioned air.
Others like air-source devices, and particularly the ductless minisplits, because of their lower initial cost, and ease of repair and maintenance.
Read the whole story in this this month's Q&A Spotlight.
posted in: Blogs, energy efficiency, hvac
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Comments (1)
Posted: 5:09 am on May 15th
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