Geothermal Heating & Cooling

GeoExchange™ systems (also known as geothermal systems, ground source heat pumps, earth energy systems) make use of the renewable solar energy that's stored in the ground. It's free, and it's available anywhere on earth.

The core of ICT's geothermal systems is the highly efficient Eco-Kube water to water heat pump manufactured by Ice Kube Systems.  Eco-Kube heat pumps make hot and chilled water and, in specialized applications, make ice in hockey and curling rinks or in thermal ice storage tanks. The heat pumps are designed for use in integrated systems to provide cooling in one area, and to use the heat produced in the cooling process in another area of the building, for instance for domestic hot water, in-floor heating, to pre-heat makeup ventilation air or even in adjacent building. If the hot or chilled water can't be used directly, it's used to heat or cool thermal mass, so a portion of the heating or cooling energy can be saved and used when it's needed later.

Integrated systems like these use 60-80% less energy than conventional systems.

Geothermal Earth Loops

Geothermal earth loops have been used around the world for over 50 years and take advantage of the natural storage capacity of the earth itself. Excess heat from a refrigeration system can be stored in the earth when it isn’t being used in a building. Alternatively, it can be drawn from the earth when the building needs heat and the refrigeration system is not running.

Geothermal earth loops can be horizontal fields or vertical bore holes or wells when physical space is limited.  Schools, universities, recreational facilities are excellent candidates for geothermal heating and cooling as their typical proximity to soccer, football, baseball, track and field and other green space is ideal for locating an earth loop.

Ice-Kube and Eco-Kube Heat Pumps

Water-to-water heat pumps manufactured by Ice Kube Systems are designed to produce fluid temperatures as low as 10°F (-12°C) to making hot water as warm as 145°F (63°C).  The low temperature capabilities of the Ice-Kube heat pump are unique making it a more efficient, environmentally sustainable alternative for ice-making applications such as rinks for hockey and curling and for ice storage off-peak cooling systems than conventional chillers.