What Are Geothermal Heat Pumps?
Geothermal replaces traditional furnaces and air conditioners – for good reason. Geothermal heat pumps use the solar energy stored underground to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes and buildings.
Equipment
1 Ground Loop The earth absorbs and stores almost 50% of the sun’s solar energy. Because of this, the temperature four to six feet below ground is moderate and stable staying between 45°F - 70°F. The geothermal system uses this to transfer heat from the earth to your home using a ground-loop field buried in the yard. The loop field circulates a water-based solution through a series of pipes.
2 Flow Center The flow center resides on a wall nearby the geothermal system. It is the tool used to pump the water-based solution in the ground loop to the geothermal heat pump in the house or building so heating or cooling can be produced utilizing the energy of the earth.
3 Water-To-Water Heat Pump The loop field transfers heat to the home through a geothermal heat pump kept indoors. The water-to-water heat pump produces heated or chilled water to deliver heating and cooling throughout your home through one of a number of options for the distribution of the geothermal energy.
There are many ways to heat or cool your home with geothermal energy
4 Radiant Heating Known as the most comfortable type of heating, a radiant system uses a series of pipes under a home's or building's floor to circulate warm water, which heats spaces evenly. This method can also be used for outdoor patio heat and pool heat. Not only does radiant floor heat provide the most comfortable warmth, when coupled with a geothermal system, it greatly increases the efficiency of the geothermal heat pump.
5 Wall Units Wall cassette units provide efficient geothermal heating and cooling, and they can be individually zoned and controlled.
6 Forced Air Heating and Cooling In a forced air system, an air-handler is used to deliver the heat from the ground to the air in a home or building through ductwork and vents. In the cooling mode, the process is simply reversed, and heat is removed so cold air circulates throughout the home or building.
7 Panel Radiators European-style panel radiators provide an elegant and efficient way to deliver room-by-room comfortable, efficient heating.
8 Towel warmers Not only can towel warmers provide the luxury of warm towels, but they can add heat to your bathroom as well.
9 Hot Water Most geothermal systems come standard with a hot water assist, known as a desuperheater. This allows for the system to capture excess heat to assist a hot water heater. This cuts hot water costs 25% - 40%. Geothermal systems can also provide 100% of the hot water needed for a home.
Beyond HVAC
Heated Pools
Geothermal can be used to heat your pool year round. It is the most efficient way to heat your pool.
Snow Melt
Keeping your driveway clear of snow and ice in the winter is a snap using a radiant geothermal heating solution. Radiant snowmelt systems provide safety and convenience.