How do ground source heat pumps work?
They work like a fridge by moving energy from one place to another. For example, a bottle of wine brought from your local supermarket is at room temperature. If you put it in your fridge and wait a few hours it will be cold enough to drink. If you touch the back of your fridge during that time you will feel heat. The fridge has taken the low temperature energy out of the wine, compressed it up to a higher temperature and in effect has warmed the kitchen up slightly. By using the same process Heat Pumps remove solar energy stored in either the earth, air of water around your building, compress it to a higher temperature and transfer it into your central heating system and hot water tank. They are also known as geothermal, ground source, earth energy, air source, water source heat pumps.
Ground source heat pumps can be categorized as having closed or open loops, and those loops can be installed in three ways: horizontally, vertically, or in a pond/lake. The type chosen depends on the available land areas and the soil and rock type at the installation site. These factors will help determine the most economical choice for installation of the ground loop. For closed loop systems, water or antifreeze solution is circulated through plastic pipes buried beneath the earths surface. During the winter, the fluid collects heat from the earth and carries it through the system and into the building. During the summer, the system reverses itself to cool the building by pulling heat from the building, carrying it through the system and placing it in the ground. This process creates free hot water in the summer and delivers substantial hot water savings in the winter. Open loop systems operate on the same principle as closed loop systems and can be installed where an adequate supply
