Geothermal energy is defined as energy stored in the form of heat in the ground below the surface, therefore, it englobes the heat stored in rocks, soil and groundwater, whatever its temperature, depth and origin. Geothermal resources are classified as the portion of geothermal energy that can be used by man. These resources are classified according to their temperature level: high temperature (above 150 ° C), medium temperature (between 150 and 130 ° C), low temperature (between 100 and 30 ° C) and very low temperature (lower than 30 ° C).

Therefore, geothermal energy is a source of renewable energy that can be used directly for heating or electricity production, and indirectly as a high efficiency energy source for heat pump application.

A geothermal heat pump uses the ground as its source of energy. This energy can be captured using an array of pipes in a closed system underground: they can be horizontally, vertically (borehole) or even sinked in the water, or in a open system pumping the ground water through a heat exchanger.

Compared to aerothermal systems, the main advantage of geothermal heat pumps is it’s performance. The efficiency of these systems is greater due to the ground stable temperature, this stability increases with the ground depth, which guarantees a higher performance and efficiency of the heat pump. 

Aerothermal energy is defined as energy stored in the form of heat in ambient air. The air, even at low temperatures (in winter), is a source of energy that can be used by a heat pump. These systems use outdoor units to extract the environmental heat that the heat pump uses as primary source. 

The ideal case for the decision to use a heat pump is in the new building sector of residential and industrial applications. All costs for planning, hardware, installation and application areas can be optimally linked and designed. There is a high savings potential due to the elimination of many traditional hardware components (geysers, extra AC units electrical heating etc…) and the optimal systems can be selected and integrated in the building phase.

Since the heat pump can supply both, cold for AC and heat for DHW and pool simultaneously, the most economically feasible application is also the one in which at least some of these properties will be used.

A UFH/UFC is the perfect component for a highly efficient, convenient and modern heating and cooling system. This system uses the entire mass of screed and tiles like a battery and therefore meets its requirements even in case of power failure for a certain period of time. While heating requires much lower flow temperatures (30-35°C) than other systems, while cooling can be operated with relatively higher fluid temperatures (18-20°C) thus heat pumps are much more efficient than other systems at the same performance. Only the circulation pumps and the manifolds need to be serviced and adjusted.

No, not necessarily. If you want to heat/cool your premises (residential/industrial) with fan coils or radiators, the heat pump will provide hot/cold water to this sort of installations as well. As fan coils and radiators do need higher/lower temperatures of the circulating fluid, the overall efficiency is somewhat lower compared to the use of a underfloor heating/cooling system.

The savings potential dependends on the type of use. Compared to traditional systems, the savings for electricity can be estimated up to 80% for heating and DHW and about 40-50% in the case of cooling.

In summer the heat extracted from the premises is used to heat DHW and the pool, which in this case is for free. In winter, the heat pump saves you up to 80% for DHW and replaces electrical consumption for an electric underfloor heating completely.

Normally the pay back period from saved electricity costs is 4-6 years in the residential sector and depending on the type of use. In the industrial sector, much faster pay back periods can be achieved, as the usage times are more constant and higher. The purchase of a heat pump for DHW use only, is generally not profitable and is not recommended.

Yes, of course, in principle all known renewables can be integrated into such a system. We also have the corresponding control units, which provide the optimal management of the relevant sources.

The e-source unit can control up to 4 different collection sources and the source management logic optimizes performance by using the most effective sources first. Here you can use geothermal, aerothermal, groundwater, seawater, boreholes, solarthermal or up to 4 of them at the same time.

On the electricity side our e-manager manages the storage of surplus electric energy coming from a Photovoltaic installation, prioritizes the operation of the heat pump during periods when electricity is not available and modulates the power consumption to never exceed the preset maximum power consumption.

The e-system includes the e-manager and has a battery storage capacity of up to 10 kWh, which makes you almost grid independent.

In principle this is possible. With the help of a PV system and a corresponding storage facility in batteries, operation of the system can also be ensured at night. This requires a corresponding control unit, the e-manager, to optimise the usage of electricity generated during the day. The e-manager charges the batteries and/or lets the heat pump charge the existing heat accumulators (DHW and storage tanks) to the highest possible extent for the night, so that at night only the circulation pumps have to run on battery power. If you have grid connection you can in most parts of South Africa feed excess electricity production back into the grid.

The subsequent installation of a heat pump in existing houses and industrial plants is of course possible and in most cases also recommended. Preferably in larger complexes, where the media supply is centralized, substantial savings potentials can also be realised relatively easily. It is even possible to retrofit underfloor heating/cooling. Especially for renovation projects, our partner UPONOR has developed suitable systems for this purpose, which come with a low overall height and thus maintain maximum ceiling height.

Yes of course, using a heat pump does not require a pool, but if a pool exists or is to be built in the future, it can be heated at no additional cost.

There is no minimum or maximum size for using a heat pump. Our heat pumps are available in different sizes from 1 kW up to 600 kW, managed by one single control unit. During our planning phase we will select the right size for you and propose it to you.

Additional heat pumps can be installed at any time. If it turns out that additional heating or cooling is required because your complex has been extended or because you wanted to try out this technology first, then an extension is possible at any time. All you need is one or more additional heat pumps, which then work in cascade. One control unit can manage up to 6 different heat pumps.

The ecoAIR heat pumps are  Ecoforest’s range of air-source heat pumps. These heat pumps are compatible with any type of geothermal collection, including hybrid aerothermal-geothermal collection and totally aerothermal collection. Likewise, they are also capable of offering the services required in an air conditioning system: Heating (radiant floor, fan-coils and radiators), Passive Cooling (or Free Cooling), Active Cooling and DHW Production.