Frequently Asked Questions

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Environmental / Climate

What is "clean technology"?

Clean technology is any product or service that creates value by using renewable resources, uses less or no non-renewable resource and creates little waste.

What is "energy efficiency"?

Energy efficiency refers to using less non-renewable energy to achieve the same level of service. It does not mean sacrificing the quality of service. For example, using less energy to deliver the same or greater level of comfort.

What is environmentally friendly heating and cooling?

Environmentally friendly heating and cooling is that which has the least harmful effect on the environment, such as the use of renewable energy from the sun, wind or heat from the earth.

What are direct use and indirect use of geothermal energy?

Geothermal energy is heat from the earth. High temperature steam is derived ultimately from the core of the earth and is used for district heating, industrial purposes and to turn turbines that generate electricity. Low temperature geothermal energy results from the sun heating the shallow earth daily. That is the heat source for geothermal heat pumps.

How do EarthLinked GHPs protect the environment?

GHP systems conserve natural resources by providing high efficiency climate control using indigenous renewable energy, thereby lowering the consumption of fossil fuels and the resulting emissions that contribute to climate change and acid rain.

Does freezing of the soil create a problem for the EarthLinked system?

No. EarthLinked ground loops are buried below the frost line and they do not circulate water, so freezing is not an issue. The sun continues to warm the earth year-round. Although EarthLinked has proven that it can effectively extract heat through ice, the earth loops and manifold are buried below the freeze line.

In extremely cold climates, is an additional heat source necessary?

All heating systems should have an emergency back-up in extremely cold climates. EarthLinked heat pumps can provide all of the heat necessary, even in the coldest weather. They operate efficiently from Miami to Montreal, and Australia to Estonia. An economic analysis by your contractor should determine what portion of the heat should be provided by the heat pump and what portion by auxiliary means. It is sometimes best to rely on supplemental heat on the few coldest days and thus reduce the capacity and installation cost of the heat pump.

Are EarthLinked systems limited by hot or cold climates?

No, they operate efficiently in extreme northern or southern locations. They can extract heat from very cold soil and reject heat into warm soil because:
They have a high temperature differential with the soil due to their direct exchange characteristic; and
The proprietary refrigerant flow controls cause the system to operate efficiently throughout the entire range of thermal loading, due to their modulating capability.

Is there independent proof of the effect EarthLinked systems have on the environment?

U.S. EPA and DOE have determined that ground source heat pumps have the lowest environmental impact of all heating systems and they reduce energy consumption and corresponding emissions up to 72% when compared to electric heat strips and standard air conditioning. The refrigerant used by EarthLinked is not toxic, and is the same as that currently used by a majority of the HVAC industry. The system’s efficiency results in greatly reduced emission of greenhouse gases and toxic gases associated with fossil fuel firing and the generation of electricity.

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