How Geothermal Works

How Geothermal Works

What Is Geothermal Heating And Cooling?

Geothermal heating and cooling systems utilize the constant temperature of the Earth to provide efficient heating and cooling for buildings. Unlike traditional heating and cooling systems that rely on burning fossil fuels or consuming electricity, geothermal systems harness the renewable energy stored in the ground.

The key component of a geothermal system is the heat pump, which transfers heat between the building and the ground. Geothermal pipes, are buried in the ground to capture the stable temperature of the Earth. During winter, the heat pump extracts heat from the ground and transfers it to the building, providing warmth. In summer, the process is reversed, with the heat pump moving heat from the building back to the ground, providing cooling to your living space.

Energy Catalyst sells heat pumps that are sized from 29,000-57,000 BTU heating capacity.

How Does It Work?

The Energy Catalyst Double Hybrid Heat Pump supplies heat through hot water, forced air or a combination of both. For homes with traditional hot water heating systems, which may use baseboards, radiators, convectors or other types of hot water heat emitters, the home’s ability to release heat will usually drop significantly when using lower temperature hot water. However, the Double Hybrid solves this problem by running hot water longer through the existing heat emitters and by supplementing the hot water heat with a very small amount of forced air on the bottom floor. The volume of air is so small, it is completely silent and undetectable, yet leads to a 35% improvement in the compressor efficiency.

Key Features And Benefits

The Energy Catalyst Double Hybrid Heat Pump offers a range of features and benefits that make it a compelling choice for energy-conscious consumers:

  • Exceptional Energy Efficiency: This heat pump achieves remarkable energy efficiency, resulting in significant cost savings on your energy bills.
  • Environmental Friendliness: With reduced energy consumption, the Double Hybrid Heat Pump helps to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
  • All-Weather Performance: The system operates independently of the outdoor conditions, it could be -30 and the unit would still be drawing from a 50F heat source.
  • Quiet and Reliable Operation: The Energy Catalyst Double Hybrid Heat Pump is designed to operate quietly, providing you with a comfortable environment without any disruptive noise.

  • User-Friendly Controls: The heat pump comes equipped with intuitive controls, allowing you to easily adjust temperature settings and optimize energy usage according to your preferences.

Geothermal Frequently Asked Questions

Geothermal heating and cooling uses a device called a heat pump to move heat to and from the ground. Like your refrigerator, which moves heat from inside the refrigerator to outside the refrigerator, our heat pump can move heat either to or from the ground depending on if the home is being cooled or heated. Energy Catalyst sells heat pumps that are sized for 36,000, 48,000 and 70,000 BTU capacity.

In most homes, the only retrofitting that is needed is to install new ductwork from the basement to the first floor, but this is a relatively easy project compared with the current industry standards of replacing every radiator in the home or adding ductwork across multiple floors or adding high wall fans.

On average, an experienced contractor can install a 48,000 Double hybrid heat pump with a team of 3 workers in 5 business days. A typical installation is 25-50% lower cost than any other option.

No, but we would be thrilled to talk to you about your home and connect you with qualified installers in your area. Energy Catalyst has a Preferred Installer Program which gives an extra discount to our most experienced installers.

A geothermal system uses a large HDPE plastic heat exchanger to absorb or release heat with the ground. Energy Catalyst’s heat pumps are designed for closed-loop systems, meaning that the same water and antifreeze solution is reused for decades. This eliminates the introduction of air or mineral contaminants. As water is moved through the underground pipe, it exchanges heat with the ground, which stays at a stable temperature year round. HDPE pipe has a 50-100 year lifetime.

Ground heat exchangers can be vertically drilled to between 200-700 ft deep. Depth will depend on local conditions and the size of the home. Horizontal trenches can also be used where there is space. You may be surprised how small a lot is needed to drill a geothermal borehole.

Absolutely! Our Double Hybrid can produce hot water for radiant floors and hot/cold air for forced air. The ROI of a Double Hybrid for new construction is between 3-10 years, depending on the local incentives.

We have partnered with one of the oldest geothermal heat pump manufacturers in the nation to professionally manufacture each heat pump. We thoroughly test each unit prior to shipment and our products have an extendable 5 year warranty.

Energy Catalyst Technologies started in 2019 as a geothermal contractor. Our team knows what drives service technicians and installers crazy and have incorporated a number of standards into our products. For instance, every unit comes with high and low pressure transmitters, so a technician can quickly diagnose the refrigerant pressures from the 4” touchscreen without getting out his gauges. Also, as much as possible, we keep critical components like reversing valves and compressors accessible if they ever need to be changed out.

Have Any Questions? We Are Here to Help!

Contact Us For A Free Quote

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Address
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.