Geothermal heat pumps are becoming a more popular choice for commercial, industrial and institutional applications.  By utilizing the efficiency of geothermal technology, larger commercial applications can save tremendously by converting or designing with ground-source or geothermal heat pumps. The technology results in fewer (and most of the time) unsightly pieces of outside equipment, greater savings and more reliable and comfortable operation.

  Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the constant temperature in the earth to provide inexpensive heating and cooling. These heat pumps can typically operate on water temperatures ranging from 35 ^oF to 95 ^oF, while maintaining significantly higher efficiencies than conventional equipment.  Due to the temperature range versatility, these appliances can be used in three typical commercial arrangements: (1) Closed Ground Loop, (2) Closed Building Loop and (3) Closed Hybrid Loop.  Explanations and examples of the three arrangements can be found below.

(1) Closed Ground Loop     A "Closed Ground Loop" ground source heat pump system incorporates heat pumps tied in parallel to a building "loop," or circulating water system.  The same water is circulated through a geothermal ground loop and later re-circulated through the heat pumps.  As the heat pumps engage in forced air heating, they remove heat from the building loop water; conversely in cooling mode they add heat to the building loop water.  The ground loop is totally responsible for absorbing or rejecting the building loop's excess heat energy helping it maintain a relatively constant water supply temperature to the heat pumps.  In this application, supply water temperature may vary much more than in applications (2) & (3).  Click here for pictures of a Closed Ground Loop Application.
(2) Closed Building Loop    A "Closed Building Loop" ground source heat pump system (also called water source heat pump system) is a common commercial application. In this application, heat pumps are tied in parallel to a building "loop," or circulating water system.  The same water is circulated and later re-circulated through the heat pumps.  As the heat pumps engage in forced air heating, they remove heat from the building loop water; conversely in cooling mode they add heat to the building loop water.  For commercial applications with somewhat even heating and cooling loads or simultaneous heating and cooling loads this application is ideal; the heat rejected from the cooling units is absorbed by the heating units. This results in a free swapping of heat energy and the ultimate payback.  Typically a boiler and cooling tower are used to assure the building loop water temperature does not get too extreme.  Click here for pictures of a Closed Building Loop Application.
(3) Closed Hybrid Loop    A "Hybrid Loop" ground source heat pump system includes heat pumps tied in parallel to a building "loop," or circulating water system.  The same water is circulated and later re-circulated through the heat pumps.  As the heat pumps engage in forced air heating, they remove heat from the building loop water; conversely in cooling mode they add heat to the building loop water.  A geothermal ground loop is installed in addition to a cooling tower. For cooling dominant applications, the cooling tower may be used to reject excess heat from the building loop.  This allows for the ground loop to be undersized for the cooling load, but sized for the smaller heating load.