Basic Principles of a Geothermal Heat Pump

In most parts of Britain, there are some exceptions, namely Bath and Southampton, the ground temperature at a depth of 1.5–2 metres remains between 8°–10° C.

By running a plastic pipe through the ground and circulating a mixture of water and specialist antifreeze within it, we can extract heat from the earth.

Heat pumps are designed and work exactly like a domestic fridge. They consist of four main elements – a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and an expansion valve.

The heat pump pumps the specialist antifreeze solution out into the plastic pipes within the ground. As the mixture passes around the outdoor circuit it absorbs low-grade heat energy before returning warmer to the heat pump. The heat pump uses the energy it has gained to warm the refrigerant which in turn transfers this heat to the water within the heating system.