Geothermal Heat Pumps Edinburgh

Geothermal heating in use in Iceland - picture thanks to You can just see the heating plant behind the steam from the heated pool.

Geothermal heat is collected underground.

Tubes, called loops, are filled with fluid that circulates the earth's heat up and around into the house. Once inside the house there is a machine called a compressor.

The compressor and a heat exchanger compress the heat from the ground to make it hotter. That heat is then released through the house through ductwork. At this point it is at a much higher temperature than what it was as it came through the loops.

The hot air circulates through the house and warms up the rooms.

Even in frigidly cold temperatures, the Earth's temperature is warmer than the air temperature and heat can still be extracted from the loops. Most geothermal heating systems also have a water heater to help out on very cold days or on days when the compressor is not running.

How does geothermal heating work:

Geothermal power can also deliver cooling

Cooling is done the opposite way. The loops draw the heat from the home and pull it back into the soil. It works very similarly to a refrigerator compressor in that it does not force cold air into the space, but draws the warm air out. The compressors of geothermal heating systems are also favored for their relatively low noise level compared to traditional units.

Installing a geothermal heating system is a very expensive endeavor. Although most homeowners can recoup the savings in electricity over five to ten years, the initial investment with drilling can be up to $40,000. Special drilling is needed to place the coils deep in the ground for optimal results. The compressor and heat exchanger are also more expensive than traditional furnaces. Relatively little maintenance is required on the geothermal heating system and most are guaranteed to run efficiently for 25-50 years.

There are different types of loops used in different geothermal heating systems. Some loops, Horizontal Ground Closed Loops, run close to the surface, about six feet below the surface. They are, obviously, less expensive to install than Vertical Ground Closed Loops that need to be buried to depths of about 300 feet. For homes that sit close to shallow ponds or lakes, a Pond Closed Loop may be ideal. This ...