Geothermal Heat Pumps

Did you know that the earth's temperature is relatively constant everywhere in the world? Even though the air temperature is dramatically different in different parts of the world, the temperature about 10 feet under the earth is about 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit all over the world. This means geothermal heat pumps can be used almost anywhere in the world. In Iowa it means the earth's temperature is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Geothermal heat pumps use pipes with liquid in them to transfer heat from the earth to the building or from the building to the earth. The pipes are buried under the ground in a loop next to the building.

To heat a building, the liquid in the pipes is heated by the earth's temperature. Remember that the air temperature in the winter is cold but the earth's temperature remains around 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the heated liquid is transferred through the building providing use heat in the winter months.

To cool a building, the liquid in the pipes takes the heat from the building back to the earth. This makes or building cooler in the summer. This is much like how a refrigerator works.

Geothermal heat pumps are environmentally clean, cost effective, and energy-efficient according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.