Question:
What sets
EarthLinked® apart from air source
heat
pumps?
Answer:
By using the constant and favourable
temperature of the earth as its heat source, 75%
of the heat delivered to the building by
EarthLinked® is renewable energy,
therefore efficiency is greatly improved.
Mechanical simplicity and the constant earth
temperature assure longer equipment life and
less maintenance.
Question:
What sets
EarthLinked® apart from other geothermal heating and cooling systems?
Answer:
All other geothermal heating and cooling providers in Australia use water-based earth loops to power their systems. Water loops require expensive excavations since they need to be dug deep down into the ground. EarthLinked® is the only system in Australia to use a refrigerant in their earth loops, enabling Energycore to offer both lower installation costs (due to less excavation costs) as well as a more efficient use of the earth heat.
Question:
What sets EarthLinked®
apart from other geo
systems?
Answer:
EarthLinked® systems use copper
earth loops to directly exchange heat with the
earth, thus eliminating the water circulating
loop and intermediate heat exchanger.
Installation, operating and maintenance costs
are thereby reduced. Because of its size,
EarthLinked® can be installed in
smaller yard space than other systems.
Question:
Why is
EarthLinked® more efficient than
other geothermal
systems?
Answer:
EarthLinked® eliminates the
intermediate heat transfer required by
water-based systems. Its direct heat transfer
method does not require the circulating pump
found in water-based systems. The system is also
inherently more efficient because of its
modulating refrigerant flow controls.
Question:
How is the earth loop system
installed?
Answer:
DIRECT AXXESS® Earth Loops can
be installed horizontally in pits or trenches
using excavators or trenchers, as well as
vertically or diagonally using small bore
drilling equipment.
Question:
How long does it take to install
the earth loops?
Answer:
Loops for a 3-ton system in
pits and trenches can be installed in a single
day. Loops using vertical and diagonal bores can
be installed in two days.
Question:
How long have
EarthLinked® systems been
operating?
Answer:
In 1980, ECR began research and
development of EarthLinked® systems.
In 1985, field demonstrations began for six
electric utilities from Florida to Michigan.
Marketing commenced in 1992.
Question:
Can I replace an
existing air source heat pump with
EarthLinked®?
Answer:
Yes. Existing ducting and
air handlers can be used with minor
modifications and the addition of the earth
loops and compressor unit.
Question:
What effect does
EarthLinked® have on the
environment?
Answer:
U.S. EPA and DOE have determined that
ground source heat pumps have the lowest
environmental impact of all heating systems and
they reduce energy consumption and corresponding
emissions up to 72% when compared to electric
heat strips and standard air conditioning. The
refrigerant used by EarthLinked® is
not toxic, and is the same as that currently
used by a majority of the HVAC industry.
Question:
How long will the earth loops
last?
Answer:
Copper is one of the few
metals that exist naturally as an element in the
earth. A noble metal, it is essentially immune
to corrosion in most underground environments
because of the protective film that forms
naturally on its surface. In rare exceptions
where pH readings exceed safe levels, cathodic
protection for the in-ground copper is offered
by ECR. With some installations dating back to
1980, ECR has never experienced a field failure
of the copper pipe due to corrosion or
mechanical damage.
Question:
How do the earth loops
work?
Answer:
The standard compressor circulates
refrigerant through the earth loops (with
sufficient velocity to transport the lubricating
oil through the system) while it is heating in
the winter or reversing the flow for cooling in
the summer. Its patented refrigerant flow
controls assure a flooded evaporator condition
and full utilization of the condenser for
optimum efficiency under all operating
conditions.
Question:
How do ECR's Adaptiv™
Refrigerant Flow Controls differ from
others?
Answer:
The two controls are simple mechanical
controls that respond directly to the
temperature and velocity of refrigerant flow
through the system. They modulate the amount of
refrigerant in circulation to assure optimum
efficiency at all times. By eliminating
subcooling in the condenser, the system operates
at lower refrigerant "head" pressures with
increased mass flow, which reduces energy
consumption and increases heat transfer system
reliability and useful life.
Question:
Is a two-speed
compressor feasible with an
EarthLinked®
system?
Answer:
The velocity of the refrigerant that circulates
for heat exchange in the earth loops is crucial
because it must maintain a sufficient rate of
circulation to continuously transport the
compressor lubricating oil. A two-speed
compressor would reduce the velocity to the
extent that oil would not be returned to the
compressor, which would be detrimental to the
unit.
Question:
Where is the
compressor unit
installed?
Answer:
Because the EarthLinked® system
does not require an outdoor coil and fan, the
compressor unit can be located in a basement,
utility room, garage or outdoors. A fully
enclosed, well insulated cabinet assures quiet
operation.
Click
to see photos and steps involved in an actual
geothermal installation.
Question:
Can the system be
used to heat
water?
Answer:
Yes. The EarthLinked® water
heating options include desuperheating
(providing "free" hot water in the cooling mode)
and integrated "on-demand" for year-round
domestic hot water. This unit can also provide
hot water for radiant in-floor heating.
Question:
Is the EarthLinked®
system ARI certified?
Answer:
Yes. The
EarthLinked® system is rated
according to ARI (the Air Conditioning and
Refrigeration Institute) Standard 870 for Direct
GeoExchange Heat Pumps. The average
heating COP is 3.9, with a cooling mode EER of
17. The system is ETL safety listed and
qualified under the EPA EnergyStar®
program standards.
