Ground-to-Water

Heat pumps that use energy from the ground obtain it through heat exchangers (pipes) buried in the ground, typically in the form of geothermal probes or surface geothermal collectors. 

The energy is transferred from these heat exchangers to the heat pump using a mixture of water and glycol (antifreeze). The heat pump then uses this energy as a heat source to prepare energy for heating/cooling or for producing domestic hot water, which it exchanges with the building through water and heating elements as heat emitters.

Since the ground temperature at a certain depth remains constant throughout the year, ground-to-water heat pumps can be used continuously year-round. The length of the heat exchanger pipes buried in the ground, either horizontally (geothermal collectors) or vertically (geothermal probes), is determined by calculations based on the energy needed for heating/cooling the building.

The greater the length of the pipes in the ground, the greater the amount of energy that can be harnessed. However, their application is technically limited by the construction work required for proper installation.

These construction works require significant investment costs, which are the starting point in analyzing the cost-effectiveness of applying these systems to a building, especially in cases where these works are difficult or nearly impossible.