HEAT PUMP

WHAT IT IS/HOW IT WORKS

Normally heat flows from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration. A Ground Source Heat Pump is used to reverse this flow. Your Refrigerator is a good example of a heat pump. Your fridge uses coolant filled loops and a compressor to remove heat from the inside of your fridge (area of low concentration) the heat is then deposited into your home (area of high concentration).

A geothermal or GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP is used to "pump" heat from the ground into your house or from your house into the ground. This is accomplished using copper loops buried in the ground. When in heating mode the coolant filled loops are used to pull heat from the ground and heat your house. In cooling mode the system works in reverse by removing heat from your house and depositing it in the ground.

GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP

WHAT IT IS/HOW IT WORKS

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. 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 at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The GHP takes advantage of this by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger.

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