Guide to geothermal heat pumps

Guide to Geothermal Heat Pumps
Geothermal heat pumps are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies available because they use the earth’s natural heat to provide heating, cooling, and often, water heating.

About Geothermal Heat Pumps
While many parts of the country experience seasonal temperature extremes – from scorching heat in the summer to sub-zero cold in the winter – a few feet below the earth’s surface the ground remains a relatively constant temperature. The natural ground temperature is cooler than the natural air temperature in summer, and warmer than the natural air temperature in winter. While the margin of variation is small, seasonal changes in ground temperature give geothermal heat pumps a dependable and permanent wintertime heat source and summertime heat sink. Geothermal heat pumps, also known as ground source heat pumps, geoexchange, water-source, earth-coupled, and earth energy heat pumps, take advantage of this resource and represent one of the most efficient and durable options on the market to heat and cool your home. Many heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems use some sort of heat pump for heating and cooling.

Geothermal heat pump systems, consisting of the heat exchanger (left) and the heat pump (right), heat and cool a home by transferring heat to and from the earth.

How Geothermal Heat Pumps Work
Using a heat exchanger, a geothermal heat pump can move heat from one space to another. In summer, the geothermal heat pump extracts heat from a building and transfers it to the ground for cooling. In winter, the geothermal heat pump takes natural heat from the ground and transfers it to the home or building for heating. Installing a geothermal heat pump system can be the most cost-effective and energy-efficient home heating and cooling option. Geothermal heat pumps are a particularly good option if you are building a new home or planning a major renovation to an existing home by replacing,