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geothermal heat pump

Defined in 2 places of the United States Code.

The term "geothermal heat pump" means a system that provides heating and cooling by exchanging heat from shallow geology, groundwater, or surface water using—

(A) a closed loop system, which transfers heat by way of buried or immersed pipes that contain a mix of water and working fluid; or

(B) an open loop system, which circulates ground or surface water directly into the building and returns the water to the same aquifer or surface water source.

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The term “geothermal heat pump” means any heating or air conditioning technology that—

(A) uses the ground or ground water as a thermal energy source to heat, or as a thermal energy sink to cool, a building; and

(B) meets the requirements of the Energy Star program of the Environmental Protection Agency applicable to geothermal heat pumps on the date of purchase of the technology.

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