patrick.net

EBGuy says

That said, looking to the future, ground source models will only continue to grow in prominence as costs come down as they don't have to operate at such low temperatures as they use the earth as a heat source.

"Heat pump" and geothermal are not the same thing.

HeadSet says

"Heat pump" and geothermal are not the same thing.

Headset, what is up man. You are very skeptical these days.
Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps, have been in use since the late 1940s. They use the relatively constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature.
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/geothermal-heat-pumps
I believe NYCBB is in this business.

This is different from geothermal energy which is heat that is generated within the Earth. It is a renewable resource that can be harvested for human use.

Just to be clear, it looks like the Klamath projects use "hots wells" which brings heat from thermal features deep underground to the surface. This is traditionally the domain of "geothermal" solutions, though "geothermal" seems to be catch all for everything ground source these days.

The Whisper Valley project relies on the constant temperature of the earth and uses heat pumps to extract/dump thermal energy from/to the ground loop. Thanks for bringing this to our attention cT. I had not heard of this project.
The geogrid at Whisper Valley was designed and built by EcoSmart Solution, which has several other neighborhood-scale geothermal energy grids in development across the U.S. The system is made up of wells bored below ground that tap the constant temperature found deep below the Earth’s surface. Using closed loops buried dozens or hundreds of feet below, these systems circulate liquid down and then back up into the home to create a baseline level of warmth, about 60 degrees. Electric heat pumps are then used to heat a home in winter or cool it in summer. Geothermal systems are notably efficient, requiring 70% less energy than a conventional heating system and 50% less than a typical air conditioner.

I was a bit puzzled why geothermal loops in the Whisper Valley project in Austin were interconnected. Looks like they are augmented for peak loads on extremely hot days. My guess is the centralized cooling tower is more efficient than upsizing the systems at the individual homes.
Homes and buildings are located next to access roads and on top of the integrated geothermal district loop that will significantly reduce energy costs for homeowners. Those lots are sold to homebuilders with specifications for sustainable construction including hooking up to the loop. The end result will be highly energy efficient Net-Zero Ready homes with very low energy costs.

To use the earth’s relatively constant temperature (45 to 75°F in this location) for heating and cooling, the design incorporates boreholes up to 335 feet (102 m) deep drilled on each lot, into which the REHAU pipe loops were inserted. Boreholes were grouted after pipe insertion. As with all geothermal systems, fluid circulates through the pipes, exchanging heat to and from the earth for cooling or heating operation, respectively.

Each PEX vertical pipe loop connects to a system of horizontal pipes. This larger integrated ‘geo loop’ is augmented by two 250-ton cooling towers for meeting peak cooling loads during periods of high ambient temperatures.

EBGuy says

Headset, what is up man. You are very skeptical these days.

Fellows, you were talking about residential heat pumps, which as Rickwicks said, are like reverse air conditioners. The common heat pump has the ability to move heat from a colder environment to a warmer one. Otherwise, it would not be a "pump," and it takes energy to do so. I have also toured homes that have "geothermal" for heating and cooling, where buried pipes circulating fluid take advantage of underground constant temperature to heat/cool that fluid before it goes through coils in a forced air blower. Nobody calls that geothermal system a "heat pump," as no heat is pumped. The only pump in a geothermal system is the pump that circulates the fluid. In fact, I had planned to have geothermal installed in the house I bought in 2014 but was denied by covenants.

HeadSet says

I have also toured homes that have "geothermal" for heating and cooling, where buried pipes circulating fluid take advantage of underground constant temperature to heat/cool that fluid before it goes through coils in a forced air blower.

You may be able to get away with that for cooling (average earth temp is 57 degrees), but you most definitely need a heat pump for the heating function (unless you're going for the living underground feel...)

EBGuy says

You may be able to get away with that for cooling (average earth temp is 57 degrees), but you most definitely need a heat pump for the heating function (unless you're going for the living underground feel...)

Good point. I am going to look again and see how the heat part works.

I don't have a heat pump, but one thing I have always done in South Florida when the weather gets frigid.
In bedrooms with a window unit, or a mini split, I put the AC on about 72 and crank it on high fan speed. The next morning, the room will be comfortable enough that I it's not too cold to get out of bed. Between 67 to 70, even if it is in the low 30's outside the bedroom door. I think it's due to the negative pressure that AC units like that creates, and air is an excellent insulator.
I haven't tried it with the central Air conditioner unit, as they always have a heat setting on them.

Some heating can come from sun, but that works best in the West. There is an example of a completely passively heated and cooled home but it takes ground-up design and $$$. Even then, without insolation in the winter 55 degrees is pretty cold.

HeadSet says

EBGuy says

Headset, what is up man. You are very skeptical these days.

Fellows, you were talking about residential heat pumps, which as Rickwicks said, are like reverse air conditioners. The common heat pump has the ability to move heat from a colder environment to a warmer one. Otherwise, it would not be a "pump," and it takes energy to do so. I have also toured homes that have "geothermal" for heating and cooling, where buried pipes circulating fluid take advantage of underground constant temperature to heat/cool that fluid before it goes through coils in a forced air blower. Nobody calls that geothermal system a "heat pump," as no heat is pumped. The only pump in a geothermal system is the pump that circulates the fluid. In fact, I had planned to have geothermal installed in the house I bought in 2014 but was denied by covenants.

There are Heatpumps that have water condenser loops (Ground Source Heat Pump.) The condenser loop of the compressor connects to the geothermal wells via a heat/energy exchanger. What it's actually doing in heat pump mode (heating) is grabbing the heat available out of the ground wells, as there is typically more heat energy available down there than in the surrounding ambient air above ground. In air conditioning mode (cooling) it is rejecting the heat absorbed from the evaporator into the ground wells, as there is a lower temperature for the heat to be absorbed by compared to the above ground ambient air, making it more efficient.