How does it work?
A few feet beneath the surface, the earth's temperature remains fairly constant year round-ranging from 45º or so in northern latitudes to about 70ºF in the deep south. GHPs take advantage of this constant temperature to provide extremely efficient heating and cooling.
In closed loop systems, a water/antifreeze solution circulates through pipes buried in the ground. This solution absorbs heat from the earth and carries it into the home. The GHP system inside the home uses a heat pump to concentrate the earth's thermal energy and transfer it to air circulated through standard ductwork to fill the interior space with warmth. (Hot water GHPs are also available and are ideally suited for radiant slab heating). In the summer, the process is reversed: heat is extracted from the air in the house and transferred through the heat pump to the ground loop piping.
Open loop GHP systems operate on the same principle as closed loop systems and can be installed where an adequate supply of suitable water is available and open discharge is feasible..A closed loop geothermal heat pump pipes fluid in a closed piping system underground, which receives heat from or discharges heat to the Earth.
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