Abstract
Geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems are more concentrated to moderate climate regions, although the potential for GHP systems in hot and humid climates is possible as past research efforts have demonstrated this using simulations and commercial case examples. This research investigates the use of residential GHP systems for the hot and humid climate found in southern Louisiana. The authors collected field performance information, including initial system cost, and electricity consumption and costs from two residential case studies in which each case included one home with a conventional heating and cooling system and one home with a GHP system. Using a comparative analysis and analysis of variance, results illustrate that initial cost of GHP system in the first case was $13,285 more and the second case was $17,588 more than the installation costs of a conventional system. Further, the GHP system payback period depends on the whether the design uses a horizontal or vertical ground loop, and the designer and contractor’s quality and experience in performing the GHP work as the first case resulted in a payback period of 70 years while the second case had a payback period of only seven years. Findings show that when an appropriate installation occurs, GHP system can save consumption and energy costs for residential homes in hot and humid climates.
Highlights
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are typically one of the major components of building energy consumption, accounting for 42% of residential primary energy use and 32% of commercial building primary energy use [1]
Cui et al [7] and Bolling and Mathias [17] found the payback period for various Geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems to be in the range of four to more than 15 years, while Cooperman et al [4] found that high-efficiency ground source heat pump systems for residential homes located in the southern United States result in a payback period of about 15 years to more than 30 years depending on the system and installation
The focus of the study is on the following questions: Question 1: How do geothermal heat pump systems perform in terms of electricity usage and cost in hot and humid climates for residential homes when compared to conventional HVAC systems?
Summary
Ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are typically one of the major components of building energy consumption, accounting for 42% of residential primary energy use and 32% of commercial building primary energy use [1]. The U.S Department of Energy Building Technologies Program identified geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) as one such high-impact technology that can reduce energy consumption and peak electrical demand in residential and commercial buildings [4,5]. Of the portion of energy cost associated with the HVAC system, the consumption savings is in the range of 30% to 60% over common residential HVAC systems such as an air-source heat pumps or forced air furnace with split-system air conditioning [5,6,7]. Cui et al [7] and Bolling and Mathias [17] found the payback period for various GHP systems to be in the range of four to more than 15 years, while Cooperman et al [4] found that high-efficiency ground source heat pump systems for residential homes located in the southern United States result in a payback period of about 15 years to more than 30 years depending on the system and installation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call