Effectiveness of a municipal ground-coupled reversible heat pump system compared to an air-source system

A municipal water network ground-coupled reversible heat pump was investigated as an alternative to conventional air-source heat pumps. It is projected that a system of this kind can be installed and operated at a lower cost than the commercially available systems. Models for the analysis of the ground-coupled reversible heat pump and conventional air-to-air systems were developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ground-coupled system. The results indicate that this system can provide a cost-effective alternative to the more conventional air-to-air systems.