Neo-Geothermal

A geo thermo heating system is currently one of the more viable non-fossil-fuel methods of bringing warmth into a home, office, or other building. Rather than relying on combustion, which is expensive as well as environmentally-unfriendly, it uses the natural warmth from the ground to provide the heat.

One way this geothermal heat is accessed is via pipes buried in the ground. These pipes are filled with antifreeze. This solution is used to transfer the heat to the heat exchanger unit. Typically, the pipes will be buried 6 feet under, where the temperature is an average of 55 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Depending on the terrain, the pipes can be straight, coiled, or somewhere in between.

Once at the heat exchanger, the warmth is removed from the pipes via a refrigerant. Due to compression and the added heat, this refrigerant can reach a surprisingly hot temperature—160 degrees. Air is then blown over the hot coils to bring that heat into the home.

Another way geo thermo heating systems can get heat is from a ground source water supply. With this method, pipes are dropped down specially-drilled well holes or into another source of water that’s about 55 degrees. From there, the water takes the warmth to the heat exchanger, which extracts the heat in the same way as for the other type of system. The cooled water is then sent back outside for discharge. Usually a special pond is used for this discharge water, but it can be released back into the ground as well, since it isn’t polluted by going through the pipes.

Geo thermo heating systems are very effective in many areas, and are far more efficient than traditional furnaces since they don’t have to burn anything to produce their heat. However, in very cold areas — such as the northern United States and all of Canada – it is likely that an older-style furnace will be needed for the coldest months. Even in those locations, a geothermal system can greatly lower fuel bills and fossil-fuel usage since it will be able to handle all the heating requirements for the warmer three seasons of the year.