The special thing about ground source heat pumps is, well, that they use ground instead of air - and it turns out to be a really important thing because of the

The special thing about ground source heat pumps is, well, that they use ground instead of air - and it turns out to be a really important thing because of the temperature differences between ground and air. A/C or heat pump efficiency is directly related to the temperature difference over which you're trying to pump. If the temperature difference is twice as large, you need to spend twice as much energy to pump the same amount of heat. Furthermore, the days where you need a heat pump (or A/C) the most are the peak cold/heat days where the temperature difference between your house and the air is much larger than usual. Because of this, a ground source heat pump can do the same thing by spending much less power than an air source heat pump, so it is "greener" - though the installation is more cumbersome and expensive.