The Carrier 50RTP AQUAZONE Rooftop Water Source Heat Pump is a major step forward in efficiency, and does its work with the lowest energy expenditure of any home temperature system. It also uses a chlorine-free refrigerant that does not pose the environmental hazard caused by earlier heat pumps.
The purpose of a heat pump is to move heat around, pumping it out of the home in summer and into it in winter. They do not move heat directly, but rather put the heat into some kind of matter and then move the matter to a place where the heat can be removed from it.
Some heat pumps use air for this purpose, heating it and moving it with blowers through ducts. This method has been used with success for many years, but it has one disadvantage, the relatively low density of air. Because of this factor, it takes a large volume of air to contain a given amount of heat, and blowers must exert a large amount of energy to move it.
A water source heat pump uses water as the medium for transporting heat. Like the air type of heat pump, this one can provide either cooling or heating in the home as well as hot water. However, since the water source heat pump is using a denser material, it can accomplish its work with a smaller volume of that material and move it with less energy. This results in a substantial energy savings that is good for the environment and the homeowner.
The fact that a smaller volume of water is needed is also good from the homebuilder’s point of view. The system of pipes, pumps and other equipment needed to move the water can be smaller, which makes them easier to incorporate into the building’s design. Since the whole system is smaller than a system used to move air, it is cheaper to build and install.
In fact, it is probable that this type of heat pump would have become prevalent much earlier, except that water can cause corrosion and other logistical problems. In times when energy appeared limitless, it seemed all right to use the less efficient medium simply because of its convenience. Now this attitude seems naive, and the energy efficiency of water source heat pumps is looking better everyday.
In winter a heat source is used to heat the water, which takes the heat to the home’s heating system and transfers it to air which can then be blown out through ducts. In summer, heat is taken from inside the house by heating the water and using it to transport the heat outside. In some heat pumps, this is done by pumping the water through a cooling tower from which it can evaporate. In others, the water is pumped through a ground loop and the ground either receives or rejects heat from it.
Unlike many of its predecessors, the Carrier 50RTP AQUAZONE Rooftop Water Source Heat Pump can work in both tower and ground loop applications. One of the factory-installed options is a package to expand the range of the model for either option. It can use either application, depending on the season and the relative temperatures of the outside air and ground. This allows this unit to operate over a range of 20 degrees to 110 degrees F, much greater than old-style heat pumps.
The revolutionary refrigerant used in the carrier 50RTP AQUAZONE Rooftop Water Source Heat Pump is called Puron R-410A. Unlike the refrigerants used in older heat pumps, this one is environmentally sound, causing no damage to the ozone layer. Shoppers can buy this heat pump with the assurance that it will never contribute to pollution or global warming, even when it is finally disposed of.
All these features make the Carrier 50RTP AQUAZONE Rooftop Water Source Heat Pump a good choice from both a financial and an environmental standpoint. Homeowners will love its quiet, efficient operation, and their power bills will be substantially lower than with a less energy-efficient model. They will also be making an environmentally responsible decision.
There is much variation in the cost of installing this system depending on the type of building and ground loop. The price can also be influenced by the type of soil or rock that must be penetrated, as well as the average temperature of soil and water. In general, purchase and installation costs will probably exceed most or all of the alternatives. However, with the low maintenance cost, low incidence of repairs, energy savings and other favorable factors, this unit will deliver the greatest net value of any home system.
Any cost considerations should also take into account any financial incentives and rebates offered. Some states offer substantial incentives for the installation of energy-efficient systems which can lower the total cost.
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