When it comes to the available options for warm and cool homes, consumers have got lots of options to choose from. And some are just under their feet.
Many people are now taking advantage of the earth’s constant temperature to cool their homes and heat water for domestic use.
The summer period offers the perfect opportunity to sample the therapeutic sun along the pristine sandy beaches. However, it’s also a period when the temperatures are extremely high and need improvised cooling systems to keep you comfortable.
Geothermal heating and cooling isn’t only readily available, but also efficient. It lowers the household’s environmental footprint in the long run.
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What are Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems?
Geothermal heating and cooling systems entirely depend on the underground heat to provide both the warming and cooling effect to your desired rooms.
Popularly known as the Ground Source Heat Pumps, the system operates by exchanging heat with the ground.
It is easier and more reliable to produce heat all year round because the underground temperatures don’t seem to vary so much. The temperatures are consistent, making it possible to cool homes without much struggle.
How Does Geothermal Heat Work?
When the sun heats the earth, the underground naturally becomes heated, and its temperature rises. By use of the Ground Source Heat Pumps, a geothermal system collects all the earth’s heat and distributes it throughout your home.
While this system might not be the perfect choice for all homes, it still remains the most ideal system for any home with heating and cooling challenges.
Here is How it Works.
The ground takes in almost 50% of the natural heat from the sun. This percentage of heat absorbed directly goes to the underground pipes.
You must have buried pipes filled with liquid underground before you can begin operating the system.
The liquid in the pipes is a very vital aspect of the whole heating and cooling system. It is the liquid that absorbs the trapped heat energy and transfers it to the heat pumps.
The liquid carries the heat until it reaches the heat pump. When it gets to the geothermal heat pump, the heat is extracted from the water and transmitted to different parts of your home heating system.
And it’s more efficient than any other heating system because it consumes very little electricity and doesn’t burn any fossil fuels to operate.
You must ensure that the pipes are as deep as your basement but equally shouldn’t go too deep. It would be difficult to harness the heat if they were to go too far down.
In summary, this is what happens:
- The natural sun heats the ground, which in turn absorbs about 50% of the heat.
- The underground pipes, filled with liquid, then absorbs the heat
- Finally, the heat pump transfers the heated air to the distribution system.
How Does the Heat Convert to AC?
It sounds interesting to know that the same geothermal system that heats up your home in winter also cools your backyard during the sweltering summer period.
So, how does this happen?
The use of the reverse system applies in this case.
I will explain:
The air that circulates in the pipes contains heat. This heat is necessary for cooling, but when passed through the fluid.
The heat pump thus removes the unnecessary heat from the air and passes it through the fluid that ultimately finds its way to the ground.
The cool air gets to your home when heat is extracted from the hot air and transferred to the ground. The resultant cool air is what is dispersed to your home for cooling effects.
The heat pump usually goes in a cooling mode, thus allowing the refrigerant to absorb heat indoors. Once heat absorption is done, it is then transferred into an antifreeze mixture.
The heat is ultimately deposited into the ground, and ultimately creating a cooling effect.
What are the Types of Geothermal Systems?
There isn’t a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective heating and cooling system than the geothermal system.
With just the renewable solar energy all stocked in your backyard, and under your feet, you can heat your home through winter periods and operate AC to cool off during scorching summer afternoons.
We look at the four different types of geothermal heat pump systems that make it a reliable and efficient system.
Closed Pipe System
To achieve the cooling effect, most of the geothermal systems pass water through closed pipes. In most cases, these loops use radiant heating and thus prevent the extremity of cold floors in your home.
Open System
It is mostly of a continuous supply of clean water which in turn is harnessed to produce heat. The water bodies help with the heat exchange between the fluids.
Here, the liquid passed through the closed pipes doesn’t actually deliver heat to the pump. Instead, an open-loop pumps water from the ground into the heat pump which in turn transfers the geothermal energy.
Lake Hybrid
The pond system features a water source just at the basement of the installation. The underground pipes which originate from the building finally end up in the water body.
To ensure the water doesn’t freeze, the pipes come in the form of concentric coils.
Direct Exchange
In most cases, heat exchange occurs in the system through circulation. However, it is totally different from a direct exchange system.
The direct exchange comes with a single loop refrigerant that keeps direct contact with the ground.
In summary, geothermal heating is an efficient and reliable choice for homeowners who want to heat and cool their homes. Geothermal Heating also uses a renewable energy utilizing energy through ground loop heat exchangers plus saves electricity bill up to 50%. To learn more visit RMS Geothermal heating and cooling system.
However, to attain high-end results, there are more efficient ways to incorporate this renewable energy efficiency into your daily life.
It’s imperative to get the best geothermal system installed in your home for maximum performance. It’s even more important to involve a geothermal expert if you intend to use the system for large-scale production.
