Joe Parsons is a dedicated geothermal professional. His years of industry efforts testify of his passion for geothermal heat pump (GHP) implementation. He was voted Chairman of the Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) on April 20th, 2016. Here’s a little information on Joe’s company, EarthLinked:
Joe Parsons, right, stands with his crew.
At a recent visit to the EarthLinked Facility in Lakeland, Fla., I had the opportunity to see some remarkable advancements in “refrigerant based geothermal applications,” sometimes referred to as direct exchange (DX) GHPs. In the book, Geothermal HVAC, Green Heating and Cooling, (educational textbook published by McGraw-Hill Professional in October, 2010, ISBN 0071746102 / 9780071746106), the technology is cited on pp 52-53 as follows:
“Direct expansion (DX) geothermal systems are gaining in popularity throughout the industry and the world, in large part because of their high efficiency, ease of installation, and low maintenance. They work under the same principle as the water-to-air heat pumps, but instead of using water as a primary loop for heat transfer, these systems use copper lines installed in the earth and filled with refrigerant, such as R-410A. R-410A does not damage the ozone layer, unlike many past refrigerants, although it does have the potential to be a greenhouse gas that is much more potent than carbon dioxide.
DX systems require less excavation to install. Theoretically, speaking from a thermodynamic perspective, they are more efficient because one step of the heat exchange process is removed…”
DX geo systems use copper lines installed in the earth and filled with refrigerant, such as R-410A
The facts are clear; the technology has the potential to increase energy efficiency and reduce first cost. Jeff Miller, President of EarthLinked said that he believes that their GHPs have a solid niche in the industry, and EarthLinked is having wonderful success in the retrofit market. They have developed a few remarkable features on the EarthLinked Product lines.
The “EarthLinked Diagnostic Monitoring System,” version 1.0 now comes standard on all of their GHPs. It basically takes all of the guess work out of the diagnostics by showing the temperatures and pressures needed to trend diagnostics. The feature comes with a micro SD card capable of storing decade’s worth of data.
Domestic Hot Water (DHW) generators are now standard features, complete with a DHW circulator and temperature controls.
The Smartphone app essentially places the refrigerant gauges, temperature sensors, amprobe and voltmeter, placing all of this information in the palm of your hand, without ever touching the GHP. Isn’t technology great?
The smartphone places all of this information in the palm of your hand.
By the end of the year, EarthLinked says they’ll have packaged GHPs. Currently, they match “off-the-shelf” air handling units (AHUs) with their GHPs. Also, version 2.0 of their diagnostic monitoring system will have full complement of air-side information, including relative humidity (RH) and static pressure, which will enable remarkably accurate real-time monitoring and trending of energy efficiency ratings (EERs).
Those of us in the geothermal industry that have been slow to accept refrigerant based GHPs have a reason to take a 2nd look; refrigerant based GHPs such as these certainly have an important place in our industry.
Jay Egg (l) and Joe Parsons.
Parsons Bio
By unanimous vote of its Directors at its meeting in Lakeland, Fla., the Geothermal Exchange Organization named Joe Parsons (Earthlinked Technologies) as its new GEO Chairman of the Board (2016-17). He has served on the GEO Board of Directors since May 2014. Parsons is Chief Operating Officer at EarthLinked Technologies, responsible for product development, training programs, standards compliance and authorized dealer relation-ships. He has worked for Earthlinked since 1996.
He enthusiastically accepted his position as GEO Chairman. During his career, Parsons served as President of Ray Company, Inc., an HVAC mechanical contracting firm. He was also VP of Marketing for Envirotherm Heating and Cooling Systems, Inc., an HVAC system manufacturer, and Director of Retail Operations for U.S. Power Climate Control, Inc. Parsons is a member of the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association Standards Committee, a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers and a Corresponding Member of TC 6.8 (Geothermal Heat Pump and Energy Recovery Applications).
He is also Project Committee Chairman for Standard 194, a voting member of the Canadian Standards Association Technical Committee (Ground Source Heat Pumps/ C448 Bi-national Standard Development), and Chairman of the Technical Subsection Committee C448.7 (DX). Parsons is a member of the Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration and Heating Institute (AHRI), and was elected Chairman of the Water Source and Geothermal Product Section at the AHRI Spring Meeting in March 2014.
He also chairs the DGX Product Subsection and DGX Engineering Committee, is an active member of the California Geothermal Heat Pump Association, and is a contributor to the Geothermal Heat Exchange Well Standards Update. In addition, Parsons works to advance geothermal technologies through participation in industry standards efforts in Australia.
Jay Egg is a geothermal consultant, writer, and the owner of EggGeothermal. He has co-authored two textbooks on geothermal HVAC systems published by McGraw-Hill Professional. He can be reached at jayegg.geo@gmail.com.
Join the conversation: