The Basics of Geothermal Energy and Heat Pumps

Before we begin, you should know that the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have both endorsed geothermal heat pump systems as an excellent choice for temperature control because they are energy efficient, have a low environmental impact, and are cost effective.

Click on a question to view the answer.

Can a geothermal heat pump heat my pool?

Yes. Whether your pool is indoor or outdoor, a geothermal heat pump can do the job for you very inexpensively.

Can a heat pump be used to melt snow?

More and more new home construction includes a heat pump that also heats the driveway and sidewalk…all but eliminating the need to shovel snow! This alone could sell your house.

Can geothermal heat pumps cool as well as heat my home?

Absolutely. Our single system performs both heating and cooling functions. You choose if you want to heat or cool your home with the flick of a switch.

Do I need more electricity, or do I have to install specialized electric service?

No. Most homes already have adequate power. Our units are designed to use low levels of energy—ideal for new construction and for retrofit installations should you decide to install a system after your home or office is already built.

How are the pipes joined?

Geothermal pipes must be connected by fusion. There are other options for connecting but we only use fusion because it is the strongest and lasts the longest. Barbed fittings, clamps and glued joints are never to be used in a geothermal heat exchange system because they will cause the joints to fail and ultimately, you’ll have a leak. When joined correctly, especially with thermal fusion, the joints become even stronger than the original pipes.

How do I know what size to get?

We will do an exhaustive evaluation of your home or business. They will take into account the normal outdoor temperature where you live and work, the types of windows you have, the size of your home or business, and the insulation R-factor of your walls and roof. With this information they will be able to provide a very accurate heating and cooling analysis. Based on this information they will recommend a pump that will be perfect for your needs. You will be comfortable all year round, no matter how hot or how cold it is outside.

How do I know which system to choose?

Every client has specific needs and specific characteristics in their immediate environment that will impact their decision. Geothermal heating and cooling systems have many ways to be connected to the earth. By contacting one of our experts, we will discuss your specific needs and help you to decide what will work best for you and your situation. We will also work with you to understand your local codes and regulations.

How does heat move from the ground into my house?

We will bury loops of pipe (either open or closed) in the ground near your home. The temperature transfer medium in these loops will absorb heat from the earth and release it inside your house.

How efficient is a heat pump?

This is the best news of all! Our heat pumps are designed to be up to 500% efficient. Really! Geothermal heat pumps typically cost 75% less than heating with electricity and 50% less than an air-source heat pump. Cooling costs are lower too! You’ll save between 25% and 50% than what you would pay for conventional air conditioning. Don’t forget how efficient heat pumps are at providing your hot water. Geothermal heat pumps are designed to save money AND be good for our environment.

How large a house can be served by a heat pump?

Our systems are designed to handle homes and offices up to 20,000 sq. ft.

How long will my system last? Do I have to replace it every few years?

Not at all! Geothermal heat pump systems are designed to last an average of 18 – 23 years. Most conventional systems last only 9 – 13 years.

How much of my heating and cooling needs can my heat pump provide?

100%!!! All heat pumps are energy efficient. Some models focus more on heating, others on cooling, while our heat pumps take a more balanced approach to both heating and cooling. You can rest easy knowing that you are doing your part to move away from the use of inefficient heating and cooling methods that rely on the burning of fossil fuels.

How much water does an open loop system use?

Each unit has different specifications. This will be noted as gallons per minute or gpm. Your water well and heat pump must be large enough to provide that required water for your heat pump in addition to what you need for household needs.

How much will I be paying in electricity?

An average 1500 sq. ft. can expect a heating and cooling bill of $30 - $50 per month.

How much will this cost me? How long will I see some kind of payback?

For an average 2000 sq. ft. home, our units will cost somewhere between $14,000 and $18,000 to install. This is roughly twice the cost of a conventional system. As for the payback period, you’ll have recouped your money somewhere between 3 and 5 years. That’s a savings of $2800 to $6000 in energy costs per year! Once the unit is paid for, you’ll have up to $500 a month to put back into your pocket.

I’d like to know if a heat pump can provide hot water for my home.

We have heat pumps that can provide for all your domestic hot water needs at a cost of just pennies a day. We do this with the heat exchanger built into your heat pump called a hot water superheater that removes the high temperature heat from the refrigerant. We have units for both home and commercial use.

I’m very concerned about our environment. What IS the impact?

As we stated both the DOE and EPA recommend the use of geothermal heat pump systems because they have a low impact on the environment. Rather than burning energy and creating carbon monoxide and other gases unsafe for the environment, you are simply moving energy from one place to another. This is done at a fraction of the cost usually required to heat and cool a building.

I’m worried about how comfortable my home will be. How much comfort will I have to compromise on?

There are no compromises. You simply cannot beat how comfortable a geothermal heat pump makes your home.

Tell me about your customer satisfaction.

Most of our customers are so pleased with their systems that they say they would recommend a geothermal heat pump to their family and friends. Despite the higher initial cost to install, most people believe that the comfort level provided at the significantly lower energy costs make this an easy decision.

They’re probably hard to maintain, right?

Not at all. They require regular maintenance for the air filter and air blower. If you have an open loop system, it is suggested that you do water coil maintenance, but this will depend on the quality of your water source.

What does this do to the value of my home?

As we continue to pursue alternate renewable energy sources, a home with a heat pump already in use is of tremendous value. Home appraisers and real estate agents understand the value of a geothermal heat pump system.

What fluid is used in the pipes or tubes?

One of two fluids is used – either propylene glycol or methyl alcohol. Each part of the country requires specific concentrations to work optimally, so the fluid is mixed with water to pre-specified amounts.

What if my well water is poor quality?

You may wish to reconsider an open loop system because poor quality water can create a basketful of problems. You should have your water tested for hardness, iron, and other mineral content as well as acidity. Water high in minerals will leave deposits throughout the system, requiring fairly frequent cleaning. Water from flowing sources such as ponds, rivers, springs, lakes, or rivers are not recommended. This water is too high in sediment and will destroy your heat pump.

What is a closed loop system?

A closed loop system is a much more “common” system, mainly because most of us do not live near enough a natural body of water. As of this writing there are five different types of closed loop systems. The one common feature in all of them is the continuous loop that circulates the heat transfer liquid. This liquid is used over and over again.

-> Horizontal Loop Systems: For the horizontal loop, you need a fairly large yard in which trenches will be dug with a backhoe. The trenches will be between three (5) and seven (7) feet deep. A series of parallel plastic pipes are laid in the trenches, reaching an overall length of 200-300 feet per trench.

-> Vertical Loop Systems: If you have less yard space, then a vertical system is your choice. This may be due to space constraints, or to the fact that you have extensive landscaping and architectural work already in place, preventing the use of a horizontal loop system. You’ll have an expert contractor dig holes that are 150 – 450 feet deep. Each hole will house a single pipe that loops in a U-shape at the bottom of the hole, allowing the liquid to circulate repeatedly throughout the system. The hold is filled in or grouted to improve the heat exchange capacity. This system is more expensive, but uses less piping.

-> Slinky Loop Systems: Another closed loop system is the slinky loop made like a slinky with coiled overlapping loops that are then placed in a horizontal trench. These systems require 200 – 300 more feet of pipe per ton of heat exchange capacity. The more the looped slinky overlaps, the shorter the trench has to be. This is for a situation where there isn’t enough room to lay a horizontal loop system, and when you cannot dig a deep enough hole to install a vertical loop system.

-> Underwater Loop Systems: Some clients are close enough to a pond or stream that is deep enough or with a high enough flow rate to have coils placed on the bottom under the water. There is no difference in this system except that the geothermal transfer occurs as a result of heat exchange in the water rather than heat exchange in the ground. This is relatively inexpensive and environmentally speaking, there is no aquatic impact.

What is a Geothermal Heat Pump?

This is a mechanical device that pumps heat to or from a higher temperature to a lower temperature. A good example of this is your refrigerator which operates as a heat pump, moving heat from the inside of your refrigerator to the outside, thereby chilling the food on the inside and expelling or exhausting the heat on the outside of the unit. This is why the inside of your refrigerator is cool and the back is very warm. A geothermal heat pump uses the heat of the earth to heat your home. In the summer it moves the hot air of your home back to the earth, using it as a heat sink. This technology uses the moderate temperatures of the earth to moderate the temperature extremes you experience in your home.

What is Geothermal Energy?

“Geo” in Greek stands for earth. “Thermos” stands for heat. Geothermal energy is therefore power that is stored in the earth in the form of heat. There are two kinds of geothermal heat, high grade and low grade. This has nothing to do with whether the quality of the heat is better or not:

• High-Grade - heat from the earth’s internal pressure that produces steam. Geysers and hot springs are excellent examples demonstrating how the water coming out of the earth can exceed temperatures of 212°F, at which point the water becomes steam.
• Low-Grade – heat stored within the crust of the earth and is stored solar energy. BY tapping into low-grade geothermal energy, we can deliver huge savings to you whether you need heating or cooling of your home as well as providing hot water for various uses.

Geothermal power is considered to be a renewable or sustainable form of energy because it uses very little of the earth’s heat content. Extracting heat from the surface of the earth can provide an infinite amount of heating power.

What is the environmental impact of using a heat pump?

There is never any damage to the environment. That is why both the DOE and EPA both recommend the use of geothermal heat pumps. All that is done is to transfer heat from one source to another. The only difference in the water is a change in temperature.

What is the Open-Loop System?

This type of system is less commonly used because of local code restrictions and the lack of an aquifer (underground lake). It is, however, the simplest to install. This system will pump ground water through a well directly from the aquifer. Heat from the ground transfers to the heat pump and the water is returned either to a pond, river, lake, or to a drain field, or it is pumped back into the aquifer.

What is the process of a heat pump? How does it work?

You have to understand that this is a process of heat transfer rather than heat generation. A heat pump removes potential energy in the ground and moves it to where you want to heat the air or water in your home. The process uses the earth as a heat source or a heat sink. There are four stages:

1. Evaporation
2. Compression
3. Condensation
4. Expansion

In order to heat your home, heat is removed from the soil, concentrated, and then delivered to your home. In order to cool your home, the process is reversed. The refrigerant inside the heat pump is the heat transfer medium. At the beginning of the heating cycle the liquid refrigerant is cold. The heat pump forces it through an evaporator where it then absorbs heat from the water that flows through the ground as it flows through the pipes. As the heat is absorbed, the refrigerant turns from a liquid into a gas which then goes through a compressor. This pressurizes the refrigerant. By now the temperature of the refrigerant is over 160°F.

What kind of pipes do you use?

The pipes used in a geothermal heat exchange system are made of a dense polyethylene pipe that has at least a 50 year warranty, with a potential useful lifespan of up to 200 years. They are designed to last a long, long time!

What kinds of pumps do I have to choose from?

Every client has individual needs and we at Eco heating and Cooling offer many choices that are quiet, efficient, reliable, and effective. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Forced Air Heat Pump – This is the most common type of heat pump in use for home applications. The beauty of this is that it makes use of your existing ductwork already installed in your home.

2. Hydronic Heat Pumps – These heat pumps will heat or cool water for use in a wide variety of water systems including radiant floor, hydronic baseboards, fan coils, and cast iron radiators. These also have an application in more commercial venues such as car washes, dairy farms, fish farms, ice rinks, snow melt applications, and other industries that require hot or cold water.

3. Combination Heat Pumps – These units put the best of both designs together, offering both hydronic and forced air applications in a single unit. Our system can accommodate most hydronic distribution applications including radiant floor, cast iron radiators, hydronic baseboard, and fan coils.

4. Climatemaster is our MOST advanced geothermal pump. Separate compressors that run independently of each other; an idea that is based on a dual circuit design. Climatemaster allows for the most versatility in a home or business with the capacity for two stages of heating and two stages of cooling, OR two stages of heating and one stage of cooling with 100% on-demand hot water. With twelve (12) selectable speeds, this model offers improved temperature control.

5. Climatemaster water heater heat pumps are an excellent choice for both residential and commercial purposes. If you have high demands for hot water, such as a hot tub or whirlpool, this unit will save you money because it can heat more water than a traditional water heater. This unit is excellent for places with extended water usage such as hospitals, laundry facilities, schools, car washes, hotels, and industrial facilities.

What laws govern open loop systems?

Every municipality has specific ordinances, codes, licensing, and covenant requirements. You must get the necessary permission prior to installation.

Where is the heat pump installed?

Our heat pumps are designed for indoor installation. This helps to keep your home’s outdoor beauty intact. In addition, it makes much less noise than conventional outdoor condensers. Most importantly, because the unit is protected from temperature extremes and the elements, your unit will last for many years.