New Ground-Source Heat Pumps Saving Energy and Dollars in Commercial Applications

Ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) use the consistent temperatures within the Earth as a heat sink to help provide energy-efficient heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. Though GSHPs have fallen out of favor with some in the residential green building industry who prefer less complicated air-source heat pumps, GSHPs are holding their own in commercial applications. And products such as WaterFurnace’s CLW Chiller can maximize HVAC efficiency by taking advantage of different water temperatures within a building’s zones while still incorporating energy exchange with the ground.

Moving heat around a building

Most commercial heat pumps sold today are used in water-loop heat pump systems that move heat around large buildings and balance heating and cooling demands. “In a commercial building in the shoulder months of fall and spring, the side of the building with the sun facing it needs cooling, but the other side might need heating,” said Alan Niles, WaterFurnace’s Western regional commercial sales manager.  The same effect can take place between the interior and the perimeter of the building.