GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP

is a heat pump that uses the earth as a source of energy for heating and a sink for energy when cooling. Some systems pump water from an aquifer in the ground and return the water to the ground after transferring heat from or to the water. A few systems use refrigerant directly in a loop of piping buried in the ground. Those heat pumps that use either a water loop or pump water from an aquifer have efficiency test methods that are accepted by the Energy Commission. These efficiency values are certified to the Energy Commission by the manufacturer and are expressed in terms of heating Coefficient of Performance (COP) and cooling Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER).