How it works

Geothermal uses the relatively constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool your home or business.

Geothermal is not new technology. In fact, geothermal systems have been installed and operated worry free in Canada for over 25 years.

Ground source heating and cooling typically uses only the earth’s crust as a thermal mass in which to draw a constant energy from. As the earths crust is heated from Solar Energy, a properly designed and installed geothermal system has little or no impact to the area in which it is installed.

In the radically changing seasons of the climate we have in New Brunswick, our clients can see temperature changes from sometimes -40C to 40C. This means that the HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems need to accommodate this sometimes daily temperature swing. Geothermal heating is one of the best solutions in its inherent design to satisfy this condition.

To understand how geothermal works, the following is a quick review of the different methods of how the unit inside typically referred to as a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) is coupled with the earth.

Horizontal loops

Horizontal loops are the most common type of loop system, and are commonly used in rural areas due to the land space needed for installation. An excavator will dig several trenches about six feet deep in the ground, each one up to 300 feet long. Our green geothermal pipe is placed in the trenches which are then backfilled with soil.

Vertical loops

Vertical loops are primarily used in urban areas because they require little land space for installation. A specially designed geothermal drilling rig bores vertical holes into the ground each ranging from 180 to 540 feet deep. Our green geothermal pipe is inserted into each vertical bore and then the holes are filled with bentonite grout.

Pond or Lake Loops

On properties that have a nearby lake or pond that is appropriate in size and eight feet deep, a loop system can be submerged at the bottom of the body of water. A single trench is excavated from the home to the water and typically two pipes are inserted into it. These two pipes connect to several green geothermal pipes that are submerged at the bottom of the lake or pond.

Open Loops

Open loops are most commonly used on rural properties that have existing high capacity water wells. Ground water is withdrawn from an aquifer through a supply well and pumped into the heat pump, while discharged water from the heat pump is redirected into a second well and back into the same aquifer.