GEOTHERMAL

This type of loop configuration is ideal where yard space is insufficient to permit horizontal buildings with large heating and cooling loads. Vertical holes are bored into the ground 150 to 450 feet deep. Each hole contains a single loop of pipe with a U-bend at the bottom. After the pipe is inserted, the hole is back-filled or grouted. Each vertical pipe is then connected to a horizontal pipe, which is also concealed underground. The horizontal pipe then carries fluid in a closed system to and from the Geo-Exchange system. During the winter, water or an antifreeze solution is circulated through buried pipe, collecting heat from the earth and transporting it into the building. During the summer, the system cools the building by reversing itself, collecting heat from the building and transporting it back into the earth. Vertical loops are generally more expensive to install at first, but in the long run it is much more efficient and inexpensive to run than a regular furnace. On average you can run a Geo-Exchange system for a lot less than a regular furnace or air conditioner. It will cut down the cost of heating and cooling your house. Vertical loops require less piping than horizontal loops, because the earth deeper down is alternating cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.