1) What is geoexchange technology ?
ANSWER: Geoexchange systems use the earth's renewable energy, just below the surface, to heat or cool a home or building. Hot water for domestic use can also be provided with most systems. Geoexchange is sometimes referred to as a geothermal heat pump, or a ground source heat pump. Geoexchange systems are a great investment in your property and also great for the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said geoexchange systems are, "the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available today."
 

2) How does closed loop geoexchange work ?
ANSWER: At 6 ft - 8 ft beneath the surface, the earth's temperature remains fairly constant at around 53° or so in the Pacific Northwest. Geoexchange takes advantage of this constant temperature to provide extremely efficient heating and cooling for your home or business.
In the winter, a water and glycol solution circulating through pipes buried in the ground absorbs heat from the earth and carries it into the home. The geoexchange unit inside the home uses a heat pump to concentrate the earth's thermal energy and then transfers it as forced heat through standard ductwork or hydronically through radiant floors.
In the summer, the process is reversed: heat is extracted from the air in the house and transferred through the heat pump to the ground loop piping. The water and glycol solution in the ground loop then carries the excess heat back to the earth. Geoexchange uses only a small amount of electricity to operate the ground loop pump and fan. Thus there is no combustion going on in the system at any time like you have with any gas type heating and cooling systems.
 

3) How does open loop geoexchange work ?
ANSWER: The system generally works the same way, except instead of closed piping doing the thermal transfer, you have two wells sitting approximately 100 ft apart on your property. The supply well will bring up water and send it through supply piping into the building or house. There the geoexchange unit does the same thing as in a closed loop system. Once through the system the water is taken outside the home or building in return piping and the water is re-injected back down into the aquifer where it came from. Even though water temp does vary in different areas, generally there is enough heat in well water to extract some thermal properties and transfer these in the heat pump.
 

4) How much can a geoexchange system save me annually in heating and cooling costs ?
ANSWER: Generally these systems should save you 40% - 70% per year on your combined heating and cooling costs.
 

5) How popular is geoexchange?
ANSWER: Geoexchange has been around since the mid 1940's. Today there are more than one million installations in the United States alone. As more consumers become aware of the numerable economic and environmental benefits, geoexchange has seen growth in excess of 20% in recent years.

6) Can I power my geoexchange system with either solar or wind power ?
ANSWER: Yes ! Some very dedicated renewable energy consumers choose to make their heating and cooling systems completely green and completely free ! They do this by installing enough solar or wind power (or both), to cover the electricity required by a ground source heat pump.