Re:The humble water heater could be the savior of our energy...
by bluGill on Wednesday July 07, 2021 @08:42AM
(#27760434)
There is refrigerant there. It is contained inside the system, and only your water mix leaves, but there is still refrigerant inside and it can leak.
Re:The humble water heater could be the savior of our energy...
by jcynix on Wednesday July 07, 2021 @05:14PM
(#27765804)
That's correct. I was comparing our system to existing systems which directly use a refrigerant sent into the ground loop. Our heat pump itself is a closed system just as a refrigerator, and works indirectly via the water cycle used outside.
As for the "pump heat from here to there" ... while we are cooling we are warming the ground below. And as at our place, the ground's consistency keeps the warmth rather local, we reuse it later when we warm our water during the night.
We do live in a densely populated area and about every fifth hoiuse built here during the last 10 years uses a ground-based heat pump. As for electricity use: each house has two hours of "blockage" where the pump is not allowed to run, so that the power lines aren't stressed. That's no problem at all, because all houses are highly insulated and thus buffer rather good.