Dual source heat pump

Piwoslaw · 07-31-24, 12:53 AM

We all know of the ups and downs of both air source, and ground source heat pumps.
Imagine you go with the investment in GSHP, and then you notice that during the heating season you have quite a few days when the outdoor air temperature is warmer than the water circulating in the ground loop. If you had gone with ASHP you could harness that heat...

So what if... you had an air-water heat exchanger on the ground loop, just before the compressor. It would be connected in parallel, with a thermostatic valve opening whenever the air temperature would be higher than the ground temp, and closing otherwise. This would additionally heat the source water, increasing efficiency.

07-31-24, 12:53 AM	#1
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 964 Thanks: 189 Thanked 111 Times in 87 Posts	Dual source heat pump We all know of the ups and downs of both air source, and ground source heat pumps. Imagine you go with the investment in GSHP, and then you notice that during the heating season you have quite a few days when the outdoor air temperature is warmer than the water circulating in the ground loop. If you had gone with ASHP you could harness that heat... So what if... you had an air-water heat exchanger on the ground loop, just before the compressor. It would be connected in parallel, with a thermostatic valve opening whenever the air temperature would be higher than the ground temp, and closing otherwise. This would additionally heat the source water, increasing efficiency. __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.