How Do Geothermal (Ground Source)
Heat Pumps Work?

It's In The Name

The name 'geothermal' is a combination of two words; "geo", meaning earth and "thermal", meaning heat energy.

We are living on the largest rechargeable battery possible: Earth! But, instead of storing and releasing electricity like most batteries, the Earth stores and releases heat. Geothermal heat pumps (or ground source heat pumps) move the thermal energy stored in the Earth into your home or business to heat it. When cooling, heat is moved from your home or business and stored back in the Earth – all at the highest efficiencies possible. For every unit of electricity that is put into a ground source heat pump, up to 4 units of heat are moved!

Of all the solar energy that comes our way, 48% of the heat energy is stored just under the planet's surface, keeping the heat battery charged up. Whether there's a heat wave or a cold snap, the temperature underground stays consistent year-round.

How Geothermal Heats and Cools Your Building

Heating

In the colder months, our geothermal units extract heat from the ground and move it into your building to heat it. That means geothermal efficiently heats your home or business using underground solar heat and without using fossil fuels.

Heating

In the colder months, our geothermal units extract heat from the ground and move it into your building to heat it. That means geothermal efficiently heats your home or business using underground solar heat and without using fossil fuels.
Cooling

During the warm months, our geothermal units work in reverse. They extract heat from your home or business and store it underground. The moderate temperature found underground readily accepts the extra heat, resulting in highly efficient cooling.

Cooling

During the warm months, our geothermal units work in reverse. They extract heat from your home or business and store it underground. The moderate temperature found underground readily accepts the extra heat, resulting in highly efficient cooling.

What Is a Geothermal Ground Loop?

In the context of ground source heat pumps, a ground loop is an underground series of pipes through which a fluid mixture flows. The heat pump moves this fluid through the loop to transfer heat energy into or out from your home. Let's look at a few different options for loop installation.

Horizontal Loop

In homes with above-average yard space, a horizontal loop could be the perfect solution. Holes are either trenched or horizontally bored and the piping is run underground parallel to the surface. These are popular in new construction or in more rural applications where space is ample.

Vertical Loop

The vertical loop option is a popular method for installing ground source heat pumps in buildings with less available lot space. Here, holes are bored up to 500 feet deep and the pipe is run vertically. This saves significant space in the installation process while still offering peak performance.

Open Loop

If your property has a reliable and clean underground water source, an open loop can be a good choice. With this option, the fluid in the loop system is pulled from an underground source and discharged into a different location, like a well. Not all municipal codes permit this type of installation.

Pond Loop

If the property has access to a large enough body of water, a "pond" loop can be a very economical solution for installing geothermal! The loop coils are submerged under water and anchored just off the pond or lake bottom, allowing for optimal heat transfer throughout all seasons.

Geothermal Advantages

The most efficient heating and cooling system available especially when compared to traditional HVAC – up to 500% efficiency!

By having no outdoor unit, noise pollution is heavily reduced while dramatically increasing system life.

Geothermal is a renewable energy tech and is the most eco-friendly way to heat and cool your home.

Save up to 70% on heating and cooling costs and up to 40% on hot water heating costs – geothermal does more work at a lower cost!

Our geothermal systems are built incredibly well. The indoor systems last an average of 24 years, and the ground loops last indefinitely.

Geothermal improves home comfort. Our systems allow for smaller changes throughout the day, ridding your home of hot and cold zones.

Geothermal vs. Other Heating & Cooling Sources

All In One

No Outdoor Equipment

Uses Earth’s Free Heat Energy

No Combustion

Best For The Environment

Radiant Floor Heating Capabilities

Maximum Efficiency

Requires Electricity

Requires Fossil Fuel

Geothermal Heat Pumps	Air-Source Heat Pumps	Natural Gas	Propane	Fuel Oil	Traditional Air Conditioner
		x	x	x	x
	x		x	x	x
	x	x	x	x	x
		x	x	x
	x	x	x	x	x
					x
500%	250%	95%	95%	83%	250%

x	x				x

Why Homeowners Love Enertech Geothermal

“[Installing geothermal was] one of the best things we did building a new home. Our heating and air bills are rarely $180.00 a month. Most of the time it's $150.00 and that's the total electric bill. That includes 3200 ft² home, a small cabin, electric to the barn, and electric to a new goat barn. Not bad!”

JAMES
ARKANSAS

“After the tax credits and ComEd discount the geothermal was only 2k more than a top-of-the-line propane furnace w/ ac installed. The amount saved on the electric bill made it way easy to afford the payments on geothermal and it cut my energy bills in half. Not to mention not having to buy propane. I wouldn’t trade my geothermal system for anything.”

ANTHONY
ILLINOIS

"Of course we’d have a geothermal system, at 400% efficiency compared to the high efficiency gas-fired furnaces of today at 97% efficiency, and also not at all dependent on fossil fuels. We feel so comfortable with our geothermal system, and it is the next technology for heating our homes!"

TOM
MICHIGAN