What is geothermal heating?

The Earth is a living system containing an enormous amount of energy which is constantly being renewed by the sun and rain. Geothermal heating systems extract this free energy from the ground and harness it by means of a generator, converting it into heat that can be used in the home for heating purposes. In the winter, the temperature of the earth and ground water drops only slightly, making it easier to extract heat.

Based on a captor in the ground, a generator and a heat distribution system, geothermal heating systems offer adaptable solutions suitable for most individual or collective buildings.

In the field of geothermal heating, there are three different types of captors depending on the areas of land available and whether there is groundwater: horizontal captors (the most common), vertical captors and captors from underground water source.

Horizontal captors

The captors are placed in the ground at a depth of between 50 and 60 cm. They collect the energy contained in the ground and transmit it to the generator. Horizontal captor networks are the most commonly used system and they are the easiest to install. For a house with a floor area of 100 sq. m., you need a captor area of about 150 sq. m.

 

Vertical captors

A vertical geothermal probe (between 70 and 100 m below ground) is used to extract energy from the earth. This solution is used when the surface area is limited.

 

Underground water source

Energy is collected by pumping groundwater (from a borehole or a well). This solution is used when there is ground water present nearby.

Depending on your needs and your requirements, Avenir Energie offers three different ground source heating systems: mono-fluid, dual-fluid and water based.

Mono - fluid

The refrigerant circulates in the buried captor and in an underfloor heating system inside the house. This solution does not allow the control of individual room temperatures and does not offer the cooling option.

Dual- fluid

Energy is collected from the ground by a captor consisting of a polyethylene sheathed copper tube in which the refrigerant circulates. Heat is transmitted by the refrigerant to a generator which releases the energy required for heating. The heat is conveyed through the house by a traditional heating system of the hot water type.

 

Water based

A water/glycol mixture (water with antifreeze) is used to collect and transport the energy extracted by the captors. This water conveys the heat to a generator which releases the energy required for heating.