Ground-coupled hydronic cooling loop (buried pipe + radiator)

A closed water loop buried roughly 1.5m deep (where ground temperature stabilizes near 12-15C) circulates through a salvaged car radiator and fan indoors via a small pump, a hydronic variant of ground-coupling, distinct from the air-duct earth tube and earth-sheltered form: it retrofits onto an existing structure with a radiator/fan-coil rather than requiring integrated ductwork. Source claims up to roughly 30kWh of cooling delivered per 1kWh of pump/fan electricity, i.e. a COP far above a compressor heat pump since it moves existing heat rather than creating a temperature difference from scratch, self-reported by a single builder, not independently measured.

Cost
Medium
Upkeep
Occasional
Skill to build
Intermediate
Lifespan
Buried pipe loop: 30-50 years if a durable material (PE/PEX) is used; the radiator/fan/pump follow standard mechanical-equipment cycles (10-15 years)
Embodied carbon
Medium
Space / material use
Medium
Output timing
Continuous process
Skill to repair
Intermediate

Note: Cost, carbon and footprint are rated against the other options for this same need, not in absolute terms.

What your site needs

Ground area available for a buried pipe trench/loop at roughly 1.5m depth; workable (non-rocky) soil

Inputs

Outputs

Sources

Tutorials

What this page does not tell you

No sizing or quantities: how much a technique yields, and how much a household needs, both depend on the build and the people, so the catalogue compares options rather than dimensioning them. It carries no bill of materials and no build sequence, and it is written for an oceanic, clay-soil climate (Normandy, France). Regulatory notes are indicative and need confirming locally.