How Geothermal Homes Work

If you care about the environment and want a sustainable way to heat and cool your home, we understand you 100%. Green living makes you feel good about yourself because you know you’re making a difference. At the same time, geothermal homes are also a great way to save money in the long run. They provide incredible energy savings and can even help you qualify for certain credits. How do home geothermal systems work?

The Main Components

Inside the home, there are several main parts of a geothermal heating and cooling system. You have the geothermal pump, which pushes water through the outside ground loops. There’s also a heat exchanger. Hybrid systems add a water heater or furnace for extra heating if you live in a really cold area.

As hot or cold water comes back from the outside loops, it helps to cool or warm the home naturally. Geothermal heating takes advantage of this transfer to remove cold air during winter and replace it with ground warmth. The opposite happens during summertime, with the heat pump pulling heat from the air and introducing cold water from underground.

The Loops

The key to geothermal homes are the loops the run deep within the ground. Depending on the amount of land you have available, our sustainable heating and cooling professionals can install a horizontal or vertical loop field. These coils are placed at a depth of at least five feet. This system is effective because ground temperatures are much more stable than air temperatures.

During the winter, it can be freezing outside, but there is a huge amount of heat available below ground. The opposite is true during summer. The sun heats up the air significantly, but the soil is refreshingly cool. By pumping water through the buried coils, a geothermal home heating and cooling system takes advantage of these incredible temperature differences. This reduces the amount of electricity needed for air-conditioning or heating. The environment loves this solution, and so will your family.