| Ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs) are one of the most efficient air-conditioning systems, which use the underground as the heat source for heating in winter and heat sink for cooling in summer. In developed countries, GSHPs have found wide application in air-conditioning for hotels, hospitals, schools, office buildings and private houses. In this paper, the maintenance costs of GSHPs and conventional air-conditioning systems were presented and compared. The advantages and disadvantages of GSHPs were analyzed and illustrated. It was concluded that the costs of energy consumption and maintenance could be reduced significantly using a GSHP system, but the initial costs would be relatively higher. However, there have been some solutions to the problems with the application of GSHPs. GSHPs are therefore deemed as a very promising air-conditioning system. |
