For homeowners dreaming of a more self-sufficient, off-grid lifestyle, geothermal heating stands in a category of its own. Consistently ranked among the most energy-efficient heating systems available today, geothermal heat pumps harness the earth’s stable underground temperature to deliver reliable, low-cost heating and cooling.
This project began with the installation of a horizontal ground loop system, chosen to take full advantage of the client’s available land. Over the course of approximately one week, crews excavated a series of 50-foot trenches at a depth of six to eight feet, where soil temperatures remain more consistent.
Proper ground loop design is critical to system performance. Ground loops were laid through each trench, then connected and fed into a single main supply line running back to the home. The result is a closed-loop ground loop: a sealed, continuous circuit of water that absorbs heat from the earth and carries it back to the heat pump without any water ever being consumed or discharged.
Once the ground loops were tied into the heat pump, the system’s warmth is then distributed through radiant floor heating; PEX tubing embedded throughout the home’s flooring that radiates gentle, even heat from the ground up. Radiant floor heating pairs exceptionally well with geothermal systems because both operate most efficiently at lower water temperatures, which means the heat pump runs less and lasts longer. The finished system gives this homeowner whole-home heating and cooling from a single, all-electric geothermal heat pump.
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