GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

A geothermal system ensures a comfortable home environment, pleasantly warm in winter and cool in summer. Geothermal systems use environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology.

This type of system allows the production of both hot water for winter heating and for sanitary purposes, and cold water for cooling during the summer: this peculiarity makes geothermal systems an ideal alternative to traditional systems as a single system guarantees the same functions normally assigned to two different devices (boilers and air conditioners).

A geothermal system, therefore, is able to heat and cool a home without the aid of other devices and in this case it is a "monovalent" geothermal system. In any case, these are systems that integrate perfectly with other high-efficiency heat generators.

But what is a geothermal system made up of? The basic elements are 3:

Heat capture system. This system is made up of polyethylene pipes which act as heat exchangers by exploiting the thermal energy present in the subsoil or in the water. These pipes can be installed in the ground both vertically at great depths and horizontally at a maximum depth of 2 meters.
Geothermal heat pump. Installed inside the home (usually in the garage or cellar), the heat pump represents the heart of the system. In fact, it allows heat to be transferred from the ground or water to the internal environment in the heating phase and to reverse the cycle in the cooling phase.
Accumulation and distribution system for heat and fresh air. These systems are suitable for working with hydronic heating/cooling terminals operating at low temperatures such as fan coil units. Finally, the presence of a storage tank for hot water is essential for storing the heat which will then be distributed throughout the home, both for heating and for domestic hot water (DHW), when required.

But how long does a geothermal system last on average? The estimate must be made mainly considering heat pumps and geothermal probes: a heat pump has a useful life of 10-15 years while probes can work for many tens of years (about 80 years).

A geothermal system has numerous advantages. First of all, it is free thermal energy (if we exclude the electricity consumption of the heat pump), the operating costs are about 60% lower than a traditional system, the CO2 emissions are very low and the maintenance interventions are reduced to a minimum.