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PAGE 12 - PLAIND1 mMmlm \ • ...Yet another way you're • $ ahead with your own well! Member National Water Well Association and Illinois Water Jos. H. Hue mann 2020 W. Johnsburg Road, McHenry, Illinois The ground water source heat pump system. Ground water has been called "nature's most efficient solar collector." In addition to the advan­ tage of high specific heat, ground water's temperature doesn't vary with seasons: it is warmer than air in the winter, and cooler than air in the summer. Ground water's heat output is also constant year-round. It oc­ curs at temperatures from 40° to 75°F throughout most of the continental U.S., making it ideally suited to operate a heat pump system. This means it is probable you can utilize this new form of heating in your own home. Traditional heat pump systems. Although they are now widely used, air-to-air heat pumps have several disadvantages when compared to ground water systems. Limited energy storage capacity is the most ob­ vious drawback of the air-to-air heat pump system. Air's specific heat is only 0.018, so it can absorb and release only 1/50 of the energy that water can. Fifty times more air by weight must pass through a heat pump to produce as much heat as the same amount of water. Further­ more, winter air is coldest when we need heat; and summer air is war­ mest when we need cooling. A traditional back-up winter heating system may be required when temperatures drop. Air-to-air heat pump system efficiency is generally reduced during the summer months. JOS. H. HUEMANN ft SONShas discovered that the ground water sour­ ce heat pump can be used for residential space heating and cooling - and we're excited about it. We hope that many homeowners will soon begin to take advantage of the lower costs offered by our most plentiful (and often overlooked) source of energy - ground water. The solar energy stored by ground water can be tapped by a ground water source heat pump to heat and cool your home, and supply hot water for domestic needs. Living in a house heated by ground waterJust what would it be like to live in a home heated and cooled by a ground water source heat pump system? First, you stive money. Because its efficiency is so high, the National Water Well Association estimates that a ground water heat pump system can pay for itself in two to four years, if you already have a well. Even if you need to have a well drilled, your system will pay for it­ self in four to eight years. Since the heat pump system's estimated lifespan is over twenty years, it yields real savings. To our knowledge, no ground water heat pump system has ever stopped running - - even after more than 25 years of service. So its lifespan may actually prove to be far greater! Because of the way it delivers heat, the ground water heat pump system can also make your house a more pleasant place to live. A traditional system delivers hot air in cycles. When the furnace "kicks on," it blasts hot air until the system reaches the desired temperature and cycles off. A furnace does not reach maximum efficiency until it has been running for several minutes. So most seldom reach their maximum operating efficiency. A ground water heat pump system also operates on cycles, but it heats air to only 95°-405°F, approximately 40° cooler than most conventional systems. A ground water heat pump system doesn't produce extreme temperature variations that make a room feel cold and "drafty" while the furnace is not producing heat. Also, air from the heat pump will not seem as dry to you, since its capacity to draw moisture is much lower. People accustomed to a ground water source heat pump of­ ten feel less comfortable in homes or buildings heated by traditional methods.