I just recently bought a Samsung washing machine and dryer and am delighted with its performance and saw similarities in their market approach to our geothermal unit of choice. The obvious first thing noticed was the sleek and stylish look of the Samsung which is comparable to the GeoSmart Premium Q units making them a site to see in any mechanical space. Second each has a strong focus on energy conservation. In my purchasing process, I discovered that washing machines are migrating to the direct drive motor design away from the belt drive configuration. Geothermal units have been direct drive for a while now and are also ECM motors. Both units focus on quiet operation. I can certainly say that the VRT (Vibration Reduction Technology) is definitely quiet and almost vibration free. The GeoSmart Premium Q units are also very quiet with cabinet insulation, compressor blankets and the sorts.

Energy Efficient GeoSmart Geothermal Units

This led me to wonder if the mechanical room is now a destination in the home. As energy conservation has surpassed being a just a trend and now a mainstay in modern living. Are there are bragging rights now in how home energy conservation is achieved? I wonder how often people talk about their energy consumption and implement a ‘beat the Jones’ strategy on conservation. In my home, we got rid of our high consumption freezer and opted for an Energy Star rated one, purchased a new washer and drier, and now are looking at the Energy Star fridges on the market all in an effort to be more of a conservationist while enjoying some bells and whistles to boot.

Geothermal manufacturers also have to consistently now challenge themselves with innovation and reinvent how things are done.  All units have recently migrated from R22 refrigerant to R410A, a more environmentally friendly yet less efficient refrigerant. This posed a challenge to designers in that the new units had to be reinvented to keep up and or beat previous COP (Coefficient  of Performance) ratings with a less efficient refrigerant. This meant a reinvention process on other components gave them success. They also started to come a long way in their ancillary offerings. Now much of what are on the market are two stage units that allow a lower stage of operation for our mild spring and autumn seasons. On board diagnostic equipment for easy service and troubleshooting indications. Then for the bells and whistles units such as the GeoSmart Premium Q, for example, have built in hydronic heating ready connections for applications such as radiant floor heating.

I am excited to see the next steps in where the technology will migrate. With much of the HVAC (Heating Ventilating and Air conditioning) industry migrating to better control strategy and web capable interfaces for service and reporting, there is much that is to come in the near future. Who knows, we might even see fully modulating compressors as a new standard.