Geothermal Heat Pump

Eligible for 2013 HVAC tax credits!

Geothermal heat pumps as the greenest way to heat and cool your home! Using the constant thermal energy located under your back lawn, they move heat energy depending on the season. A GHP helps you not only save money on utility bills, but plays a huge role in protecting our world. Use the WaterFurnace® calculator below to see sample savings:

WaterFurnace® energy savings calculator

How Does A Geothermal Heat Pump Work?

A geothermal heat pump (GHP) is the equipment used for heating and cooling. Similar to an all electric heat pump it is able to provide both heating and cooling for your home.

To understand how it works, you need to understand that there is a large "loop" that makes up a heating and cooling system. Even with a traditional air conditioner installation this loop exists, but is referred to as an outdoor coil and indoor coil. The air conditioner contains the outdoor coil, and an evaporator coil contains the indoor coil. Refrigerant is chilled by the air conditioner, and pumped inside to the indoor coil where warm air from your home is forced through to cool it.

With a geothermal heat pump installation, a contractor installs an "earth loop" which replaces the coil in a traditional system. Earth loops are made of durable, high-density polyethylene pipe and contains a water based fluid. In the cooling season, heat energy is dissipated into the ground from the earth loop which chills the refrigerant.

The chilled fluid is pumped back inside to the indoor coil where warm air from your home is forced through. In the heating season, this process is reversed. Heat energy from the constant thermal temperature of the ground is used to heat the fluid. The heated fluid is pumped inside to the indoor coil where cool air from your home is forced through to provide heat. Read more below, or on our geothermal contractor page.

WaterFurnace Geothermal Heat Pump

Open Loop (Well Water)

In ideal conditions (a little rare), an open-loop can be the lowest cost type of GHP installation for your home. Open loops use groundwater from a well as a direct energy source.

Pond/Lake Loop

Pond/Lake loops are extremely economical to install when a body of water is nearby. Coils of piping are placed on the bottom of the pond or lake to capture the thermal energy and either dissipate or obtain heat energy.

Horizontal

When you own enough land around your home, horizontal loops can be the ideal earth loop system to install. Depending on the exact system needs and space available around your home, pipes are placed in trenches that range in length from 100 to 400 feet.

Pond/Lake Loop

When not much yard or land is available, a vertical earth loop can be the way to go for your GHP installation. Small diameter holes are bored into the ground using well drilling equipment. The polyethylene piping is then installed into these holes that range from 100-400 feet deep!

Some of the information on this page including the video and imagery is property of WaterFurnace®. Find HVAC Dealer is not partnered with WaterFurnace in any way, but we chose to show their brand as they are the largest manufacturer of GHP systems today. HVAC Website is a development and Internet marketing company dedicated to serving HVAC contractors. For more information please visit each of their respective websites: www.waterfurnace.com and www.hvacwebsite.com.

Remember to verify that a HVAC contractor actually has experience with GHP solutions. Even if a geothermal contractor displays certifications on their website such as NATE, this does not mean they received the certification for GHP specific technical expertise. Research will always pay off.

To begin locating an HVAC dealer by requesting estimates, use our locate a geothermal contractor tool.