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Heat pump schematic (C) Carson Dunlop Associates Groundwater Heat Pump System Efficiency Measurements

Variations in COP & EER measurements for heat pump systems

Groundwater heat pump coefficient of performance COP and energy efficiency measurements.

This article discusses efficiency measurements of ground coupled heat pump systems: COP's and EER's.

Page top sketch: a heat pump's operating cycle and key parts when the heat pump is operating in "summer mode" or "cooling" courtesy of Carson Dunloop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, report writing, and education firm.

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Heat Pump Efficiency Measurement for Ground / Groundwater Systems

Groundwater Heat Pumps: confused about COPs and EERs

A reader asked:

Several well-water heat pump manufacturers claim COP's of 3 to 6 and EER's of 13 to 17 [1986 data].

But the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) (cited atReferences or Citations ) list tested COP's of 2.6 to 3.4 and EER's of 9 to 14.

Who's right? - Howard W. Murray, Bowie, MD

Steve Bliss Answers:

You can't tell which COP and EER measurement for groundwater based heat pump systems is "right" without additional data describing the testing conditions, according to Atlanta-based engineer Don Abrams, author of "Ground Coupled Heat Pumps" [Solar Age Magazine, Sept. 1985].

See HEAT PUMP COP for a definition of heat pump COP or coefficient of performance and for comments about sources of variation in COP numbers.

At SEER RATINGS & OTHER DEFINITIONS we define EER, the Energy Efficiency Ratio for HVAC equipment.

The building's heating and cooling loads and incoming water temperature all affect the efficiency measurements of the heat pump system.

Another factor affecting measurement of a ground-coupled heat pump system's efficiency is the energy required to pump the water. this could, by itself, account for the groundwater heat pump efficiency measurement differences on the order reported in your question above.

ARI engineer David Feron says that for groundwater-source heat pump efficiencies to compare with ARI figures, testing has to be done in accordance with ARI [now AHRI, Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute] standard 325-85.

[Note: as of 2011 AHRI publishes the following standards for Water-Source & Ground Water-Source Heat Pumps]

The question-and-answer article about heat pumps, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. Adapted with permission. January 2011.

For other readers

Definitions of COP (Coefficient of Performance) and EER (Energy Efficiency Rating) are given and explained at SEER RATINGS & OTHER DEFINITIONS

Rules of Thumb for Geothermal Energy & GeoExchange or Earth-Coupled Ground-Source or Water Source Heat Pump

Current Energy Use measurements for heat pumps are expressed as EER or COP. The range of top performing heat pumps in 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, can provider

Using current best ground source heat pump technology as of August 2017, to obtain one ton of heating or cooling energy a ground-source heatpump system will need a 100-foot deep (or long) hole into which a 1/4" or 1/2" tube of refrigerant will be looped.

This data is for typical soil conditions found in the Hudson Valley such as Poughkeepsie, New York 12603.

Soil and site conditions that affect the cost and trouble of the soil drilling to install a geothermal energy system vary considerably by both geographic area and site specific conditions such as hitting buried boulders, convenient drilling location, angle, and depths available.

Ground Source and Groundwater Source Heat Pump Manuals & Research

Watch out, the geothermal and groundwater source heat pump articles just below are ridiculously expensive documents also available at Amazon.com.

The question-and-answer article above paraphrases, quotes-from, updates, and comments an original article from Solar Age Magazine and written by Steven Bliss. The link to the original Q&A article in PDF form immediately below is preceded by an expanded/updated online version of this article.

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

  • Solar Age Magazine was the official publication of the American Solar Energy Society. The contemporary solar energy magazine associated with the Society is Solar Today. "Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nation's leading association of solar professionals & advocates. Our mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy.

    We advance education, research and policy. Leading for more than 50 years. ASES leads national efforts to increase the use of solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies in the U.S. We publish the award-winning SOLAR TODAY magazine, organize and present the ASES National Solar Conference and lead the ASES National Solar Tour – the largest grassroots solar event in the world.    "
  • Steve Bliss's Building Advisor at buildingadvisor.com helps homeowners & contractors plan & complete successful building & remodeling projects: buying land, site work, building design, cost estimating, materials & components, & project management through complete construction. Email: info@buildingadvisor.com

    Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com
  • Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, now the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, (AHRI), 2111 Wilson Blvd, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22201, USA, Tel: 703.524.8800, E-mail: ahri@ahrinet.org. Quoting from AHRI:

    The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) is the trade association representing manufacturers of air conditioning, heating and commercial refrigeration equipment. AHRI’s 300+ member companies account for more than 90 percent of the residential and commercial air conditioning, space heating, water heating, and commercial refrigeration equipment manufactured and sold in North America.

    AHRI Standards can be downloaded at no charge from http://www.ahrinet.org/Content/FindaStandard_218.aspx
  • Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
    Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
  • Geothermal HVAC, [Amazon.com] Jay Egg & Brian Howard, McGraw-Hill Professional; ISBN-10: 0071746102, ISBN-13: 978-0071746106, quoting:

    This definitive guide covers commercial and residential geothermal heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technologies and explains how to take advantage of their money- and energy-saving features. Geothermal HVAC:

    Green Heating and Cooling     reviews the array of choices currently available, offers market values for systems based on varying options and conditions, and describes how to pair the best systems for each application and budget.

    Whether you're a contractor or a consumer, you'll find out what you need to know to implement a geothermal HVAC system in a retrofit or new construction project, and start benefiting from this sustainable, affordable technology.
  • Geothermal Heat Pumps: A Guide for Planning and Installing, [Amazon.com], Karl Ochsner, Robin Curtis, Earthscan Publications Ltd. (December 2007), ISBN-10: 1844074064, ISBN-13: 978-1844074068

    Quoting:

    Geothermal Heat Pumps is the most comprehensive guide to the selection, design and installation of geothermal heat pumps available.

    This leading manual presents the most recent information and market developments in order to put any installer, engineer or architect in the position to design, select and install a domestic geothermal heat pump system.

    Internationally respected expert Karl Ochsner presents the reasons to use heat pumps, introduces basic theory and reviews the wide variety of available heat pump models. Expertly reviewed and adapted for the most geographically broad application possible, the book offers the reader valuable tips for planning and system control using data, graphics and tables from a growing and innovative market.
  • Residential Geothermal Systems: Heating And Cooling Using The Ground Below, [Amazon.com], John Stojanowski, Pangea Publications LLC (March 17, 2010) ISBN-10: 0981922112, ISBN-13: 978-0981922119. Quoting from Amazon.com reviews:

    Readers will learn how heat pumps are able to extract heat from relatively low temperature water circulating in ground loops and raise it to a temperature high enough to heat a home.

    They will also learn how to estimate the size of the heat pump required and the ground loop size as well for straight 2-pipe, 4-pipe, 6-pipe and Slinky loop configurations. This is important in order to verify that the installer correctly sizes the system.

    Both horizontal and vertical loop systems, for GX and DX, are covered.

    Some of the technical issues that are addressed include: Loop water flow rates and Reynolds Number, heat of extraction/rejection, heating capacity, desuperheater setup, open-loop/closed-loop, SCW, pond loops, DX, Manual-J, COP. The final chapter consists of a set of flowcharts guiding the homeowner to ask the pertinent questions needed for a successful installation.

  • In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested

    CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.

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