Systems

Components of a geothermal system
A geothermal heating and cooling system is made up of three main components:

• The geothermal heat exchanger or geothermal loop
  This the “main energy source”. It is the most important part of the geothermal system due to the fact that if it is poorly developed by the designers*, it will result in weak system performance. The geothermal heat exchanger can be built in a number of ways:
  
  

  vertical closed loop
  
  
  horizontal closed loop
  
  
  closed loop in a private pond or pool
  (one that is not government-regulated) 

  
  
  
  * The designer must be accredited by the Canadian GeoExchange Coalition.
  
    
• 2. Heat transfer unit or geothermal pump
  The geothermal pump is in fact the heart of the geothermal system since it transfers heat between the building and the geothermal exchanger. The unit inside the building runs on electricity. Electricity for the geothermal pump is used to transfer heat rather than generate heat (the difference is significant). The geothermal system uses 1 watt of electrical energy to turn the compressor and activate the components that will extract heat from the soil (the equivalent of 5 watts). This means 4 watts of energy are free. The unit produces fewer or more watts/hour depending on its capacity*. Three types of geothermal pump systems are available: water/water, water/air and combined systems.
  
  
  • WATER/WATER : Water/water systems allow for the heating and cooling of water that will be used to heat hot-water radiant floors or be sent to water distribution systems (radiators, forced air heaters, peripheral network, etc.). The versatility of such a system makes it possible to meet multiple needs. 
    

     

  • WATER/AIR : This geothermal pump application heats and cools the air through ventilation ducts. This type of system can also be used to create independent ventilation areas. 
    

     

  • COMBINED : A combined system is simply a combination of air and water heating/cooling within the same unit so that several needs can be met with a single unit. Take, for example, the case where hot-water radiant flooring and a ventilation duct system are installed to meet air conditioning needs in the summer or to heat areas without radiant flooring. 
    

     

  • * The capacity is determined by a professional accredited by the CGC, who will conduct a detailed study of your energy needs.
• Distribution system
  Given their numerous set-ups, geothermal systems can meet all of your building’s heating/cooling requirements. It is simply a question of determining usage and what your expectations are with regard to your heating and cooling system.

Other solutions

Alternatives
Confort Géothermique also offers high performance energy efficiency alternatives, such as:

• Lighting
• Solar energy
• Waste water
• Heat recovery
• Wind turbines
• Hydroelectricity