With the modern trend of “going green”, sustainability and environmental preservation are important factors in making the quality of life better for the present and the future. This is transcending into all sorts of products from cars, to disposable goods, and now into home and office construction and improvements. The recent demand for geothermal technologies has seen an extraordinary spike with rise of electric costs and volatility of fossil fuel markets.

What is Geothermal?

In a heating and cooling sense, the term geothermal describes the process of utilizing the natural heat energy derived from the earth and earth’s groundwater to heat and cool a given space. The earth absorbs nearly 50% of all solar energy and remains at a constant temperature, typically 50°F-54°F, allowing a geothermal unit to easily exchange energy between a home or building and the earth.

What is a Geothermal Heat Pump?

A Geothermal heat pump is a ground-source heat pump, that uses the natural heat storage ability of the earth and/or the earth’s groundwater to provide heating, cooling, and hot water for homes and business.

The earth's constant temperature is what makes geothermal heat pumps one of the most efficient, comfortable, and quiet heating and cooling technologies available today. Ground source heat pumps offer the highest cooling and heating efficiencies of any system available and are an eco-friendly, cost-efficient alternative to traditional air-source heat pumps or fossil fuel in heating systems. Unlike traditional systems, ground source heat pumps use electricity to move heat and not create it. In contrast to oil, gas or propane heating systems, geothermal systems emit no combustion byproduct gasses and have the lowest CO2 emissions technology, providing a solution to aid against global warming.

Geothermal heat pumps offer versatility by being able to heat and cool from one system. You can easily change from one mode to the other, and they can also provide domestic hot water and heat for radiant floor systems.