Yes, a geothermal heat pump can use baseboard, however, there are a few important items to consider to ensure you are going to be comfortable in your home and happy with your heating system upgrade.
Traditional baseboard heaters have a low surface area and minimal thermal mass, requiring very hot water flowing through them to effectively get heat into the room. Most geothermal systems work best providing medium temperature water at 120° F. At these temperatures, the baseboard still distributes some heat, but the output is much lower than with a boiler operating at 180° F or higher. The medium water temperatures work great for radiant flooring and high efficiency baseboards; however, they are typically not adequate to fully heat the home using traditional baseboard by themselves.
There are a few great options to combat this issue and still use your baseboard without sacrificing comfort. If you are looking to take advantage of cooling from your geo, then adding hydronic fan coils is the best way to go. For homeowners that love baseboard heating and are not interested in cooling, upgrading to high efficiency baseboard or adding underfloor radiant is the best choice to get more heat into the home for a cozy winter.
Hydronic Fan Coil
High Efficiency Baseboard
Underfloor Radiant
Hydronic fan coils convert hot water into hot air to bring an even temperature to the space. Cold water can be used to provide cooling and dehumidification. These air handlers can be either ducted or ductless, with options for every type of home. Walled mounted cassettes are a great way to provide full temperature control in any space. There are also floor mounted consoles that work great for many homes to match the space. Fully ducted air handlers can be connected to either your existing or new ductwork for central heating and cooling.
Floor Mounted Air Handler
Wall Mounted Air Handler
Upgrading your baseboard to high efficiency is another great option to integrate geothermal into your home. High efficiency baseboard fits in the same space as your existing system but can put out more than twice the heat as traditional. This is because the footprint of the baseboard uses full length fins and a double pass of piping to increase both the surface area and thermal mass. This baseboard looks great and makes for a cozy home in the winter using your geothermal system.
Heating Edge High Efficiency Baseboard
Please be wary of installers just connecting to your existing baseboard without confirming that it will be able to heat your home under all conditions. Geothermal systems can be used to reduce the energy costs significantly, but no one should have to sacrifice comfort to get the benefits when a geo is done the right way.
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