American Standard Geothermal Unit
Video Transcript
We’re in the crawl space at the Ultimate Home. We’re gonna talk about the American Standard Geo Unit. Two stage, heat assist, Geo start. The secret to Geo, guys, is having a good house. This house has got foam, it’s got great windows, it’s got dehumidification, it’s got the Honeywell 9500 thermostat that does everything but give you a physical!
But we’re gonna talk about the simplicity of this Geo Unit. Guess what? One line goin’ in, one line comin’ out. So, basically, it goes through the loop which you’ve seen in the prior video. Got a little Geo link pump right here, it’s just circulating water through the loop. It’s 60 degrees outside in that loop. Remember when we did the first video? And we’re dropping heat out of this house, into mother earth, it’s dropping the heat out there in the ground, and it’s dropping the cooling back in the house. It’s a simple process.
The Geo start, it keeps the unit from starting at a high amperage. Now, these electricians and engineers out there, if you’ll look at your books, you’ll figure out if a unit starts out at a low amps, and it runs for a long period of time, it’s very efficient. And this is a two stage unit, too, now. So, most of the time this unit right here is goin’ to run in first stage. Let’s say it’s a 2700 square foot house, which this is, this is three ton unit. Most of the time it’s running at 30-35% capacity. It just makes this unit totally efficient. That’s unbelievable, guys. No outdoor condenser, this is the only thing that’s heating or cooling this 2700 square foot house. And, we’re also producing free hot water.
Look, I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, I would not buy a book unless it had a picture in it. Now think about it, now. This is not a water heater, this is storage tank. You don’t see any wires hooked up, here. Look, 101 degree temperature. I’ve been running hot water in this house off of this loop right here for about 30 minutes now, and I’m still getting 101 degree water. All this thing does is holds your free hot water that you’re getting out of your Geo Unit for free. This two stage American Standard’s giving you hot water for life. Storage unit, no wires. This is not an illusion. This is life, baby. 101 degrees, for the rest of your life. A book with pictures.
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TLDR
When building an energy efficient home, a proper geothermal loop with a proper geothermal unit will yield many benefits including efficient heating and cooling, lower maintenance costs, longer system life span, simplicity, and one you may not have expected – free hot water.
As we continue our series on the building of an energy efficient home, we’re talking about another key feature of an ENERGY STAR® home – the geothermal unit. In a prior video series, Heating and Cooling with the Horizontal Geothermal Loop, we talked about the geothermal loop, explaining both the benefits and how they work. That was the outdoor portion of the geothermal system. Now we’re taking you inside this Raleigh, NC home to explain the in-home unit that makes it all function – the American Standard geothermal unit.
The American Standard Geothermal Unit [How it Works Review]
As explained in a prior video, the process is simple. The geothermal heat pump is simply pumping the warm water from your home (that is taking the heat from your house) through the underground loop system outside (cooling the water in the cooler underground temperatures), and then pumping that cooler water back into your home to generate cooler air. In terms of a hot Raleigh summer, here’s how that heat exchange works:
- An indoor unit is pulling in the warm air from your house.
- The geothermal unit is constantly circulating water through the system, and that warm air transfers the heat to the water.
- That warmer water is then pumped out of the house and through the underground geothermal loop where it is cooled.
- That cooler water continues to circulate and comes back into your home at a much lower temperature, where the water is used to cool the air that is blown into your home to condition it.
Benefits of the American Standard geothermal system
The geothermal unit, working in conjunction with the geothermal loop in a well-built and insulated ENERGY STAR home delivers a number of benefits. Specific to the indoor geothermal unit, they include:
System Simplicity
The simplicity of the geothermal heat pump unit (one line in and one line out) helps reduce maintenance and repair needs, especially over the long haul. With fewer moving parts and less complicated mechanical and electrical functions, the unit is less prone to breakdown and malfunction. The reduction in ongoing repair costs helps to lower your total cost of ownership for the unit, and your HVAC system as a whole.
Geothermal Heat Pump Efficiency
The American Standard geothermal unit – a 2-stage unit – starts at a very low amperage and will typically run at close to 35% capacity. Running primarily in the first stage and well below capacity makes the system very efficient and reduces wear and tear on the system. You’ll also benefit from lower geothermal heat pump energy usage. Rather than utilizing electricity that you pay for, geothermal heat pumps use geothermal energy that is free. The savings here are double, not just lowering energy costs, but reducing repair and maintenance over the long run for your energy efficient home.
Free Hot Water
Another money-saving benefit of the geothermal system is free hot water! Who doesn’t like something free? Hot water is such a big part of our lives, whether it be for bathing, laundry, or washing dishes; we use it daily. Imagine removing the cost of heating water from your electric bill!
Rather than the need for a hot water heater, your unit stores hot water for use in your home. The hot water system is also simpler, as it serves only as a storage unit, not a water heater. This again reduces ongoing maintenance and repair costs.
Casey Services Is an American Standard Customer Care Dealer
So what does that mean, and why is this a benefit? Being an American Standard Customer Care dealer means that we are certified and trained to sell and install American Standard products.
This is a benefit to the home builder or homeowner because it means Casey Services technicians are certified to work on American Standard systems. Having a random HVAC tech install or work on your systems can create issues if they don’t know the technical specifications required for that unit. Casey Services knows. Plus, American Standard still boasts one of the highest quality ratings in the HVAC industry, which is why Casey Services only installs American Standard systems.
Why Sizing Your Geothermal Unit Properly Matters
Many issues with geothermal systems have to do with the outdoor portion (the geothermal loop), but the biggest issue related to your indoor unit is making sure the geothermal heat pump is sized correctly for the system. Your pump (the geothermal unit) needs to have enough power to propel the water all the way through the underground loop and back into your home. If the pump is not strong enough, water flow will be inadequate leading to malfunctions and reduced efficiency. If the pump is oversized, it will use far more electricity than needed, hurting your cost savings. Because unskilled providers may size the unit based on spec and add more power “just to be sure”, it’s important to work with experienced and knowledgeable professionals like the team at Casey Services to make sure your unit is right-sized.
Summarizing the Benefits of the Geothermal Unit
A properly-sized geothermal unit, combined with a geothermal loop, brings simplicity and efficiency that yields a number of benefits from lower energy and repair costs to free hot water for your energy efficient home. Geothermal systems require an upfront investment, but they make up for that with cost savings over time. Be sure to reap all the benefits of a geothermal system with a proper design and installation with the pros from Casey Services.
Next – Heating & Cooling With the Horizontal Geothermal Loop
Incorporating geothermal heating and cooling in your energy efficient home is a great way to save energy and maximize efficiency.
Next – Whole Home Air Purifier – American Standard AccuClean System
Adding a whole home air purifier when building your energy efficient home helps keep your home healthy and comfortable.
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