Technology

 A typical geothermal home heating and cooling system

As mentioned before, geothermal home heating and cooling systems have gained popularity and are starting to be looked into as an alternative heating and cooling system. The ground below the surface absorbs almost 50% of the sun’s energy, and stores it there, remaining at a constant 15 degrees Celsius in Canada all year round. What the geothermal heat pumps does, is that it removes the heat from the ground and transfers it to your home. In the summer months, it does the reverse, removes your home’s heat and moves it to the ground which in turn cools your home.

How does it work? First, a large hole is dug about 15 feet under the ground and is filled with a series of pipes. Running constantly through the pipes, is a special fluid that absorbs heat. When the winter months come, the fluid absorbs heat from the earth and pushes it up towards the house heating the air. In the summer months the fluid does the opposite. It absorbs the heat from the house and pushes it downwards into the surface of the earth.

This is an environmentally sustainable technology as the pumps installed in the ground have the ability to keep working no matter how bad the weather is above the surface. They are highly effective in reducing a home’s heating cost and require very little maintenance. In fact the pipes that are installed can be expected to function properly for more than 100 years. Not to mention, the prime heat source that this technology functions on, earth’s natural heat, will be available for as long as the earth and sun exist.

Geothermal home heating and cooling systems not only benifit our environment but also help reduce electricity costs.