GEOTHERMAL IN CANADA?
GEOTHERMAL IN CANADA?
(OP)
is it just a fad or is it practical to use geothermal energy to heat a house in canada?
i understand in toronto, the earth temperature 400' down is about 55 degrees year round.
how much heat can we extract from this relatively cool part of the earth?
what'd happen to the earth if every household starts drilling 400 foot deep holes into the ground?
i understand in toronto, the earth temperature 400' down is about 55 degrees year round.
how much heat can we extract from this relatively cool part of the earth?
what'd happen to the earth if every household starts drilling 400 foot deep holes into the ground?





RE: GEOTHERMAL IN CANADA?
Generally though in southern Canada the ground temperature is 7 to 8˚C below 30-40 feet. This means that if you have enough ground water (for an open system) or enough exchange surface (for a closed loop system) you can go ahead with geothermal.
I suggest getting a soil study done by a specialist to make sure it can be done where you are (which I am positive about) and get a consultant to design your system.
The source of geothermal energy is actually the sun which heats the earth and the ground absorbs this energy. In other words, unless the sun burns out in your life time there will always be geothermal energy available.
A quick final note: geothermal is sometimes seen as a fad and although it is true that it's popularity comes and goes (due to fluctuating energy prices) it remains a real way to reduce heating and cooling costs by a factor of 3 or more.
I hope this clears things up for you.
RE: GEOTHERMAL IN CANADA?
Yes, there are some examples where some well meaning folks have created permafrost, and have lost the use of the system until the ground temperatures recovered (years sometimes), usually as a result of undersized geo fields and poor soil conductivity assumptions.
There are other examples where solar water heating panels are used to "charge" the ground temperature for winter heating - keeps the geo field small, but with the additional expense of the solar panels (more tube or solar panels? Do the math for the project)
Another example of geoexchange for a heating dominated climate is the housing project on Okotoks, Alberta, where all the homes are equipped with solar water heating panels which dump excess heat into a set of closely spaced vertical tube loops to heat up a big chunk of earth, then use that heat all winter without having to rely on an actual water to water heat pump. Drake Landing - weblink: http://www.dlsc.ca/
RE: GEOTHERMAL IN CANADA?
Take the "V" out of HVAC and you are left with a HAC(k) job.