For residences, many people make mistakenly believe geothermal energy is only for heating. Geothermal cooling systems are an inherent part of any home system.

Geothermal Cooling Systems

For residences, geothermal climate systems almost always work to both cool and heat the home. The most popular platforms involve burying pipes in the ground to take advantage of a unique aspect of the Earth. Once you get dig down four or five feet into the ground, the temperature stabilizes at roughly 55 degrees. This constant temperature can be utilized to produce heat in the winter and cooling the summer using concepts originally developed by Prince Conti, the pioneer of geothermal energy.

Geothermal cooling systems take advantage of the fact the ground remains cooler than the atmosphere during hot days. If you have a basement or live in a two story house, you already know this. The lower area is always colder than the upper floor. In the case of the basement, this is because the ground surrounding the walls acts as a thermometer. Since it is always in the fifties, the basement will always remain cold much as a can of soda will always cool off to the temperature of a refrigerator.

Geothermal cooling systems work in a fairly simple manner. Initially, it is important to understand that geothermal systems do not produce heat or cold. They simply move heat from one place to another. During a hot summer day, liquid refrigerant or water will circulate through the system and down into the pipes in the ground. Once it cools, it will return to the indoor system at a temperature of roughly 50 degrees. As the coolant circulates in the home, it will cool it while absorbing heat. Once heated, it will circulate into the ground to cool off again.


This is a very basic geothermal cooling system design. Others will combine refrigerants and condensers to create a cooler air flow system. The basic idea is the system transfers the heat into your home into the ground in exchange for cool air that is circulated through the home.

Geothermal cooling systems can cut your energy bill by half or more. Even better, they convert to heating systems in the winter and can cut your utility bill by as much as 70 percent.