Vertical geo-exchange systems leverage the ground temperature of the earth to provide heating and cooling.

In the winter, the earth acts as a heat source to provide heating and in the summer, the earth acts as a heat sink to provide cooling. 

In a direct exchange system, the heat transfer fluid runs through a pipe buried underground and exchanges heat with the ground. In a vertical system, the piping is configured vertically in deep bores. These bores allow the geo-field to transfer heat with ground that is far removed from the effects of the atmosphere, unlike a horizontal geo-field which has shallow ground temperatures that fluctuate throughout the year. A properly designed vertical bore geo-field should achieve mostly consistent temperatures throughout the year. The heating and cooling loads must be balanced on an annual basis for continued optimization.