Quantum Geothermal is a leading installer of geothermal heating and cooling systems for new homes in southern Ontario

The Heat Pump

The heat pump is the heart of a geothermal system. In the heating mode it functions to concentrate the thermal energy that has been collected from the ground and convert that raw energy into a usable form that can be distributed throughout the home to heat the various living spaces within the house. In the cooling mode the heat pump collects excess heat from within the house and transfers it back into the ground using the ground loop to carry this unwanted energy back into the ground.

Here’s Wikipedia’s definition :

A ground source heat pump (also known as a geothermal heat pump) is a piece of heating/cooling equipment that uses a type of heat pump to transfer heat to or from the ground. It takes advantage of the relatively constancy of temperatures of the earth through the seasons. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are among the most energy-efficient technologies for providing heating and cooling through a central system of ductwork.  They use far less energy than is required by burning a combustible fuel in a furnace. (end of definition)

 

Geothermal Home Heating in Mississauga, Oakville and Toronto

For those with an interest in the science of how a heat pump works, it functions on a thermodynamic principal called the latent heat of vaporization. A refrigerant material (410A) is circulated within the heat pump and repeatedly compressed and expanded, thereby changing it from a liquid to a vapour and then back again. This change of state either requires or gives off heat and provides the source of energy that is then used to heat or cool the home.

A heat pump is an extremely reliable mechanical pieces of equipment and require considerably less maintenance when compared to a traditional furnace. Additionally, there is no need for an outdoor AC unit since a heat pump functions as both a furnace (for winter heating)and as an air conditioning unit (for summer cooling), all contained within a single piece of equipment. With no equipment outside the house there is less maintenance and no exposure of the equipment to winter weather conditions. And perhaps best of all, heat pumps require no natural gas or propane to operate.

There are many well established manufacturing companies designing and building high quality  heat pumps and it is encouraging to see the volume of heat pumps built and put into service each year continuing to grow.

If you are planning to build a geothermal house you will be joining a growing community of homeowners who’ve decided to use renewable energy to heat and cool their home.

If your goal is to live in a net zero home then we should talk.