East Coast Geothermal is a Massachusetts based geothermal heating and cooling company serving all of Massachusetts and southern New England.

How it Works

Geothermal Heating and Cooling

The ground around your home or business has the potential to be an energy source for your heating and cooling needs. While the outdoor air temperatures fluctuate throughout the year, temperatures six to eight feet underground stay fairly constant and moderate. A geothermal system utilizes these near constant temperatures by circulating a water-based solution through a loop system buried in the ground. Contact East Coast Geothermal at 888-GEO-ENGY for more information.

Basic Components:

Underground loops of virtually indestructible plastic piping
A water/antifreeze solution
An indoor heat pump
An air distribution system

How Geothermal Works:

Below the frost line - usually about six to eight feet deep - the earth is a constant temperature of about 50 degrees F all year long, even in the often harsh New England winters.
The ground loops for a geothermal system can be closed-loop or open-loop systems. Closed-loop systems are subdivided into two categories: vertical and horizontal. In locations with limited yard space, a vertical loop may be the best design. U-shaped loops of special piping are inserted into 6-inch-diameter holes that have been bored 60 to 200 feet deep. The length of the loop depends on your structures heating and cooling loads, soil conditions, climate and landscaping. For every ton of heat pump capacity, 270 to 350 feet of piping is required. Vertical loops are generally more expensive to install than horizontal loops. In locations with abundant yard space, the horizontal-loop design is more popular. In this strategy, the piping is placed in trenches that are six to eight feet deep. For every ton of heat pump capacity, you'll need 400 to 600 feet of piping.
The loops are connected to one or more heat pumps located inside the building that circulates a water and antifreeze refrigerant through the ground loop. The fluid in the loop absorbs heat from the ground in the winter to warm the air in your building or returns heat to the earth in summer to cool your building.
In the winter, when the warmed refrigerant reaches the heat pump inside the building it is compressed, increasing its temperature to 160 degrees F, and then moved through a heat exchanger to warm the air in the air-handling system. A blower circulates the warmed air into the building through ductwork. By simply reversing the process in the summer, ambient heat can be removed, and you are left with a cool, dehumidified interior.