What Is a Geothermal Heat Pump & How does it work?



Geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption—and corresponding air pollution emissions—up to 44% compared to heat pumps and up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning . (Source: EPA, 1993)

Geothermal heat pumps are viable nationwide. They use the as a heat sink in the summer and a heat source in the winter, and therefore rely on the relative warmth of the earth for their heating and cooling production. Through a system of underground (or underwater) pipes, they transfer heat from the warmer earth or source to the building in the winter, and take the heat from the building in the summer and discharge it into the cooler ground. Therefore, GHPs don't create heat; they move it from one area to another.

How Do They Work?

Simply put, a GHP works much like the refrigerator in your kitchen, with the addition of a few extra valves that allow heat-exchange fluid to follow two different paths: one for heating and one for cooling. The GHP takes heat from a warm area and exchanges the heat to a cooler area, and vice versa. The beauty of such a system is that it can be used for both heating and cooling—doing away with the need for separate furnace and air-conditioning systems—and for free hot water heating during the summer months.

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For a home of 1,500 square feet with a good building envelope anda geothermal heat pump, are about one dollar a day.