The HVAC trade spotlight continues to shine on geothermal heat pump systems in various-sized buildings.

Unlike relocating a sensor or unthreading a pipe fitting, there’s no way to change tubing depth once the concrete is placed

Some came as the result of improved technology. Others were learned through the school of hard knocks.

In many parts of the U.S., the summer of 2013 was a banner season for solar energy collection. Many solar thermal systems, especially those in the over-baked western part of the country, undoubtedly collected enough heat that they reached the upper temperature limit of the storage tank and had to dump excess heat.

Hydronic heating has long been known for providing superior cold weather comfort. Even so, a question that often comes from a potential client — one who has already been convinced of the benefits of hydronic heating — is, “What about cooling?”

Most residential geothermal heat pump systems use closed-earth heat exchangers constructed of high-density polyethylene tubing. The overall earth heat exchanger usually consists of several parallel piping circuits joined into a set of headers.