geothermal heating utilizes heat from the earth’s core for direct heating applications. While this may sound a little futuristic or even unrealistic, you might be surprised to find that there are currently over 70 countries world wide that utilize geothermal heating. This type of heating is excellent as there is no need to convert another energy form into heat as the energy is already in the form of heat.   

Geothermal heat occurs from solar energy absorbed from the sun, the original formation of the earth and radioactive decay of minerals. The best place to have access to geothermal heat is by tectonic plate boundaries where there is a lot of volcanic activity. Typically the ground and water at these spots is higher then in the rest of the planet. However, no matter where you are, at hot spots or cold areas you can still extract geothermal heat using a geothermal heat pump.  

Geothermal heat is mainly used for space heating and spas. However a small amount of it is also used for domestic hot water, agricultural applications, desalination and other industrial processes. Geothermal heating is very efficient on a large scale so space heating may be best applied to multiple buildings or even entire communities versus just heating one single house. District heating is currently used in Boise, Idaho, Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Reykjavik, Iceland.   

Geothermal heating can work by directly capturing steam and water from hot springs and then piping it directly into heat exchanges and radiators. Geothermal heat exchangers can also absorb much of the suns energy as heat. A geothermal heat pump very simply forces the heat from the ground to the heating system of the particular building. There is no energy conversion necessary although geothermal heat can be converted into geothermal electricity if needed.  

  Geothermal energy is very environmentally friendly and is a renewable energy. If your home has a geo exchange system then you can save from between 30-70% on heating costs and 20-50% on cooling costs. Geothermal systems also are virtually maintenance free and are very reliable as they last for decades. As a good estimate you can heat a 2000 sq foot home for about $1 a day using a geothermal system.   

The basics of a geothermal heating system work by pumping water through underground pipes and letting the soil temperature warm or cool the water. The heat pump itself is located inside the house very much like a furnace. The heat pump is just like a central air conditioner except it provides heat.   

There are also ground source heat pumps that provide warmer and more stable heat as the soil below the frost level stores most of the suns energy and is generally at a constant temperature. One of the interesting things about geothermal heating is that you can use it for heating and also as a form of air conditioning to cool a building.

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