Resources & FAQs
At Morrison Air Conditioning, we take pride in keeping up with the latest tech, the most effective and environmental-friendly solutions and working with the building industry methods to help solve your climate control needs.
And with our interest in cutting-edge solutions, we welcome well-informed customers who understand this rapidly evolving field.
Contact us if you’re ready to tell us about your requirements. In the meantime, here are some helpful resources to help give you a better understanding of your heating and cooling options.
We’ve focused on heat pumps here, but we’ll be adding to this resource page with more useful guides to help you learn more about climate control.
What’s all this about heat pumps,
and how can I use them in my home or business?
Heat pumps transfer or “pump” heat from one place to another, which is how they get their name.
They can be used for space heating and cooling or for heating hot water.
The two main systems in use in Australia include geothermal and air-sourced heat pumps.
What is a geothermal heat pump system?
Geothermal ground-sourced heat pumps rely on free energy!
The system takes advantage of the relatively constant temperature under the ground (about 15C in Melbourne), using buried pipes to lower temperatures in the home in summer and raising them in winter.
The technology exchanges heat between the surface and the earth by pumping a refrigerant solution through tubes that loop underground.
The systems are already widely used globally and are becoming more popular in Australia.
How much can I save?
Expect to make energy cost savings of up to 50% with a geothermal system compared to a conventional air conditioner, since it’s cheap and clean energy from under the ground.
Those savings will depend on your site, whether you’re using wells or trenches for the pipes and the type of heat pump selected.
What about an air-sourced heat pump?
Air sourced heat pumps also rely on free energy, effectively working a bit like a refrigerator in reverse to generate heat.
They convert the energy stored in the air into heat with the help of a refrigerants and compressors.
That heating energy can be used to heat a space, or a hot water service.
How much should I expect to pay for a heating system for my house?
Your costs will depend on many variables including:
• local climate conditions
• home or business construction
• initial capital & ongoing
energy budgets
• expected comfort levels
• your environmental & sustainability philosophy
• geology of your location.
Contact us so we can quote you on a unique solution tailored for you.
How energy efficient are heat pumps?
Expect to get about four times as much warmth from your heat pump compared to the energy that you’re putting in.
It’s because you’re effectively taking advantage of that free fuel underground.
By comparison, air-sourced heat pumps will give you at least 3x times the warmth for the energy you put in.
Why are geothermal heat pumps more expensive?
The groundworks required to install wells, trenches and pipes increases the cost of installation considerably.
Expect to pay $40,000 to $60,000 for that cost. This investment is
necessary to access the source of free energy underground.
The cost of running the system is
much less than using conventional gas or electric heating, and half as much as using an airsourced
heat pump.
More information
What is geothermal energy? (Australian Renewable Energy Agency)
Ausgeothermal: FAQs about geothermal energy installations
Geothermal resource under Victorian soil
Videos about geothermal power:
Is Geothermal Heating and Cooling Worth the Cost? Heat Pumps Explained
Kathy Hannun: How to heat your home without hurting the planet | TED Fellows
Geothermal Energy - Ian Johnston at TEDxUniMelb
Guide to heat pumps (Automatic Heating)