SYSTEM FOR CONDITIONING AIR OF A BUILDING

Abstract

A system for conditioning air of a building that comprises a conduit buried in a soil proximate the building at a given depth such that a temperature of the soil at the given depth is different from an air temperature of an environment of the building. The conduit has a breathable wall in fluid communication with the soil. The system further comprises a forced air system in fluid communication with the conduit. The forced air system is operable to draw air from the soil across the breathable wall and along the conduit. The system defines a fluid flow path extending from the breathable wall toward the forced air system. A method of operating the system is also disclosed.

Description

FIELD

The improvements generally relate to the field of building air conditioning.

BACKGROUND

Air conditioning consists generally of heating air in a building during a cold season and cooling air in the building in a hot season. Prior art systems use a heat pump to transfer heat from an environment of the building toward an interior of the building in the cold season and vice versa in the hot season. However, for some countries, an air temperature during the cold season may not contain sufficient energy to heat alone the building. Other sources of energy must be used which may be costly, non-environmentally friendly, or both. During the summer, typical heat pumps require a large amount of energy to cater to the heat load, which, in some countries, may be very expensive and non-environmentally depending on how the electricity is generated. There is thus a need for improvement in the field of air conditioning.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, there is provided a system for conditioning air of a building, the system comprising a conduit buried in a soil proximate the building at a given depth such that a temperature of the soil at the given depth is different than an air temperature of an environment of the building, the conduit having a breathable wall in fluid communication with the soil, the system further comprising a forced air system in fluid communication with the conduit, the forced air system operable to draw air from the soil across the breathable wall and along the conduit, the system defining a fluid flow path extending from the breathable wall toward the forced air system. It is understood that the expression “conditioning” is used for heating and/or cooling. In a particular embodiment, the forced air system has an outlet configured to be in fluid communication with an interior of the building when the system is configured for cooling. Alternatively, the forced air system has an outlet fluidly connected to the environment of the building along the fluid flow path and the system further comprises a heat pump including a heat exchanger having a first conduit in fluid communication with the fluid flow path and a second conduit for circulating a heat transfer fluid, the first conduit in heat exchange relationship with the second conduit. The heat pump extracts heat from the air from the ground and transfers the extracted heat to the air of the interior of the building.

In a particular embodiment, the breathable wall fluidly connects the conduit to the soil via a plurality of apertures extending from an inner surface of the breathable wall to an outer surface thereof. In a particular embodiment, a cross-section of the conduit taken across a longitudinal axis thereof has an area of about 340 square inches. The conduit may have a length of 40 feet. However, the length and/or the number of conduits may be tuned in function of the size of the building. In a particular embodiment, the conduit has an open cross-section and the breathable wall is a porous medium, such as but not limited to a geotextile fabric, disposed adjacent an open-side of the open cross section.

In a particular embodiment, the system includes a network of conduits and the forced air system includes fans, each conduit of the network of conduits in fluid communication with a respective one of the fans of the forced air system.

In a particular embodiment, the system further comprises a perforated conduit in the building proximate a roof of the building, the perforated conduit in fluid communication with the forced air system and with an interior of the building via apertures extending through a peripheral wall of the perforated conduit. The system may further comprise a distribution conduit in the building proximate a floor of the building. The distribution conduit has a breathable wall in fluid communication with the interior of the building. The system may further comprise a first valve fluidly connected with the forced air system, the perforated conduit, and the distribution conduit, the first valve selectively fluidly connecting the forced air system with the perforated conduit or the distribution conduit.

In a particular embodiment, the system further comprises a second conduit buried in the soil at a depth superior to the given depth, the second conduit having a breathable wall fluidly connected with the soil; and a second valve fluidly connected with the forced air system, the conduit and the second conduit, the second valve selectively fluidly connecting the forced air system with the conduit or the second conduit, the forced air system located between the two valves.

In another aspect, there is provided a method for operating a system, the method comprising drawing air contained within a soil at a given depth such that a temperature of the soil at the given depth is different than an air temperature of an environment of a building; and changing an air temperature of an interior of the building by exchanging heat between air of the interior of the building and air drawn from the soil.

In a particular embodiment, the method further comprises drawing air from the environment of the building in the soil at the given depth. The method may further comprise mixing air drawn from the environment with air drawn from the soil.

If the temperature of the soil is inferior to the air temperature of the environment, changing the air temperature of the interior of the building comprises, the method comprises injecting the air drawn from the soil in the interior of the building, or if the temperature of the soil is superior to the air temperature of the environment, changing the air temperature of the interior of the building comprises heating a heat transfer fluid by cooling the air drawn from the soil; and after heating the heat transfer fluid, cooling the heat transfer fluid by heating the air of the interior of the building.

In yet another aspect, there is provided a method of operating a system, the method comprising, during day time, drawing air located in a building proximate a roof thereof; and storing roof air, drawn from the building, in the soil at a given depth such that a temperature of the soil at the given depth is different than an air temperature of an environment of a building. During night time, the method comprises drawing air from the soil; and injecting the air from the soil in the building for heating the building. In particular embodiment, drawing the air from the soil comprises drawing the air from the soil at a depth inferior to the given depth. In a particular embodiment, injecting the air from the soil further comprises injecting the air from the soil proximate a floor of the building.

Many further features and combinations thereof concerning the present improvements will appear to those skilled in the art following a reading of the instant disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the figures,

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a system for conditioning air in a building in accordance with a particular embodiment;

FIG. 2 is schematic view of a system for conditioning air in a building in accordance with a particular embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a heat pump of the system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a forced air system used in the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic tridimensional view of a building equipped with a system for conditioning air in accordance with a particular embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a possible installation of a conduit in accordance with a particular embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating an interior surface of the conduit of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating an exterior surface of the conduit of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a system 10 for conditioning air of a building B is illustrated. The building B may be, without limitation, a house, a farm for animals, an industrial building, a greenhouse, and so on. The system 10 benefits from a temperature difference between an air temperature of an environment 12 of the building B and a temperature below a surface 14 of a ground. The system 10 uses the thermal inertia of the ground. It is known that amplitudes of temperature fluctuations of a soil 16 below the surface 14 decreases with a distance from the surface 14. In some regions, the temperature below the surface is substantially stable at from 5 to 20 degrees Celsius at a depth of about 6 feet. The system 10 may be used for cooling or for heating. These configurations are described herein below.

The system 10 comprises a conduit 18 buried in the soil 16 proximate the building B at a given depth D for extracting the air from the soil 16. The given depth D is selected such that a temperature of the soil 16 at the given depth D is different than the air temperature of the environment 12 of the building B. In the embodiment shown, the conduit 18 is buried in a location adjacent the building B. It is however contemplated to bury the conduit 18 directly below the building B, before the building is constructed. In the illustrated embodiment, the conduit 18 is buried within a pumping zone 20. The soil 16, at least in the pumping zone 20, has a certain porosity which means that air is contained between particles of the soil 16. In a particular embodiment, the pumping zone 20 is man-made by digging a cavity 22 and by filling the cavity 22 with sand or other suitable material. In another embodiment, the soil 16 is naturally made of a material suitable for air extraction. In a particular embodiment, the conduit 18 is vertically extending in the ground and a major portion of its length is below the given depth. Other configurations are contemplated.

In the illustrated embodiment, the conduit 18 has a breathable wall 24 to provide fluid communication between the conduit 18 and the soil 16 such that the air contained in the soil 16 may be extracted therefrom through the conduit 18. For extracting the air in the soil 16, the system 10 further comprises a forced air system 26 in fluid communication with the conduit 18. The forced air system 26 is operable to draw air from the soil 16 in the conduit 18 along a first flow path 28 extending from the breathable wall 24 toward the forced air system 26. The forced air system 26 may include a fan or any suitable apparatus configured for inducing motion in a fluid. In the illustrated embodiment, the forced air system 26 is located above a surface 14 of the soil 16 and is fluidly connected to the conduit 18 via a first pipe 30. The first flow path 28 then extends through the conduit 18 and the first pipe 30.

In a particular embodiment, a second pipe 32 is fluidly connected to the conduit 18. This second pipe 32 fluidly connects the conduit 18 with the environment 12 of the building B. With this second pipe 32, the forced air system 26 is in fluid communication with a second flow path 34 extending from the environment 12 to the forced air system 26 via the second pipe 32, the conduit 18, and the first pipe 30. The first and second flow paths 28 and 34 converge in the forced air system 26. The forced air system 26, along the second flow path 34, draws air from the environment 12, route the air in the soil 16 in the conduit 18 where its temperature is altered, and extract the air out of the forced air system 26. The air drawn from the environment is mixed with the air extracted from the soil 16. The air extracted from the soil 16 and, optionally, from the environment 12, may be used either for cooling or heating air in the building B. Suitable adaptors 36 may be used to connect the conduit with the pipes 30 and 32 which may be of different dimensions. In the embodiment shown, the pipes 30 and 32 are connected to extremities of the conduit 18.

For cooling, air extracted from the soil 16 is injected in the building B using a suitable connection 38. For heating, the system 10 further includes a heat pump 40 operatively connected to the building B via suitable connections 42 for transferring heat from the air extracted from the soil 16 to the building B.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of a system 100 that is configured for conditioning air of a building B is illustrated. In the embodiment shown, the building B is a house having a footprint of 3600 square feet, three stories of each 10 feet in height yielding an internal volume of approximately 108000 cubic feet. In the illustrated embodiment, the system 100 comprises a network of conduits 102 comprising conduits 104 (four in the embodiment shown) buried in a soil 106 at a given depth D below a surface S. It is understood that the number of conduits 104 in the network 102, and/or dimensions of the conduits 104, may be tuned in function of a size of the building B to be conditioned. As discussed above, the conduits 104 each have a breathable wall 108 providing fluid communication with the soil 106.

The system 100 has a forced air system 110 having an inlet 112 fluidly connected to the conduits 104 via suitable pipes 114 and an outlet 116 that is fluidly connected to an interior 118 of the building B along a first conduit 120 and/or fluidly connected to a heat pump 122 via a second conduit 124. More detail about such configurations is presented herein below. It is understood that although the system 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 is configured for both heating and cooling, the system 100 may be configured only for cooling or only for heating. If the system 100 is configured for heating only, the first conduit 120 that fluidly connects the forced air system outlet 116 to the building B may not be required. Alternatively, if the system 100 is configured for cooling only, the second conduit 124 and the heat pump 122 may not be required.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the system 100 may be configured for cooling air in the building B. In the illustrated embodiment, the air contained within the soil 106 is drawn therefrom by the forced air system 110 and injected inside the building B. Therefore, the interior 118 of the building B is fluidly connected to the soil 106 along fluid flow paths 126, 126a extending from the soil, through the conduit breathable walls 108, through the conduits 104 and the pipes 114 and via the forced air system 110. In a particular embodiment, the force air system outlet 116 is fluidly connected to a ventilation system (not shown) of the building. Such a ventilation system may comprise a network of ducts to distribute the air amongst a plurality of rooms of the building B. Other configurations are contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the system 100 may be configured for heating air in the building B. As described above, the forced air system inlet 112 is fluidly connected to the soil 106 along the fluid flow paths 126. However, the forced air system outlet 116, instead of being fluidly connected to the interior 118 of the building B, is fluidly connected to a heat pump 122. The heat pump 122 is configured for extracting heat from the air of the soil 106 and to transfer the extracted heat to the air of the building B. During a cold day, a typical heat pump extracts heat from air of an environment 128. However, in some region, the air temperature of the environment 128 may be inferior to −10 degrees Celsius or less. Hence, in some region of the world, the heating potential of the heat pump 122 using air from the environment 128 may be limited.

One embodiment of a heat pump is described herein below. It is however understood that any suitable heat pump may be used. Referring more particularly to FIG. 3, the heat pump 122 includes a first heat exchanger 130, a second heat exchanger 132, and a central unit 134 configured for circulating a heat transfer fluid. The heat pump 122, in the first heat exchanger 130, transfers heat from the air from the soil 106 to the heat transfer fluid and, in the second heat exchanger 132, transfers heat from the heat transfer fluid to the air of the interior 118 of the building B.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first heat exchanger 130 has a first conduit 136 and a second conduit 138 in heat exchange relationship with the first conduit 136. The first conduit 136 is fluidly connected with the flow paths 126. In the embodiment shown, the forced air system 110 is located upstream of an inlet 140 of the first conduit 136 relative to an airflow circulating from the soil 106 toward the forced air system 110. However, it is understood that the forced air system 110 may be located downstream of an outlet 142 of the heat exchanger first conduit 136 relative to the air flow. The second conduit 138 circulates a heat transfer fluid, which may be any suitable heat transfer fluid known in the art, such as but not limited to, R-134A. In the illustrated embodiment, a temperature of the heat transfer fluid is inferior to the temperature of the air extracted from the soil 106. Hence, the heat transfer fluid is heated by picking up heat from the air from the soil 106. As a consequence, the air from the soil 106 decreases in temperature and may be expelled in the environment 128 along fluid flow path 126b. In the illustrated embodiment, the first conduit outlet 142 is fluidly connected to the environment 128 of the building for ejecting the air extracted from the soil 106 and cooled through its passage in the first heat exchanger 130. The heat transfer fluid then circulates in the second heat exchanger 132 where it transfers its energy to the air of the interior 118 of the building B. In the illustrated embodiment, the second heat exchanger 132 has a main conduit 144 for circulating air of the building and a secondary conduit 146 for circulating the heat transfer fluid. The main and secondary conduits 144 and 146 are in heat exchange relationship with one another.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the forced air system 110 comprises a plurality of fans 148. In the embodiment shown, the forced air system 110 comprises four fans 140, one fan for each of the four conduits 104 of the network of conduits 102. Each of the fans 148 has an inlet 150 in fluid communication with a respective one of the conduits 104 and of the flow paths 126 and an outlet 152 fluidly connected to the forced air system outlet 116. In the embodiment shown, the outlets 152 of all the fans 148 are fluidly connected with the forced air system outlet 116 via an adaptor conduit 154 that is configured for receiving the flow from all conduits and to output a combined flow of the conduits 104 generated by the fans. In the embodiment shown, the forced air system 110 is located outside the building B within a dedicated shed 156. Other configurations are contemplated, such as but not limited to, storing the forced air system 110 in a basement of the building B.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in the embodiment shown, a length L of each of the conduits 104 is 60 feet. The conduits are buried and the given depth, measured between the conduits 104 and the surface S of the soil 106, is 4 feet. Each of the fans 148 of the forced air system 110 is an 8 ampere fan that is able to draw 1050 cubic feet of air per minute in free air and 800 cubic feet of air per minute in vacuum such that the relative static pressure is 24%. In the depicted embodiment, the inlet 150 of each of the fans 148 has a cross-section of 10 inches by 16 inches. The fans 148 may be powered by a generator of 120 volts and 30 amperes. In the embodiment shown, the soil 106 comprises sand and has a porosity, defined as a ratio of a volume of air in a control volume over the total volume of the control volume, of 50%. In the embodiment shown, a pumping zone Z has a length of 60 feet, a width of 30 feet and a depth of 6 feet. A volume of the pumping zone is thus 10800 cubic feet. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, a volume of air contained within the pumping zone Z is 5400 cubic feet. It is understood that other configurations are contemplated and any suitable fans powered by any suitable mean in any suitable soil may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, for operating the system, air is drawn from the soil 106 at the given depth D. The air temperature in the interior 118 of the building B is changed by exchanging heat between the building interior 118 and the air drawn from the soil 106. In a particular embodiment, air is drawn from the environment 128 of the building B toward the soil 106 for being heated or cooled in the soil 106 as illustrated in FIG. 1. If the temperature of the soil 106 is inferior to the air temperature of the environment 128, the air temperature of the interior 118 of the building B is changed by injecting the air drawn from the soil 106 in the interior 118 of the building B. Alternatively, if the temperature of the soil 106 is superior to the air temperature of the environment 128, the air temperature of the interior 118 of the building B is changed by heating a heat transfer fluid by cooling the air drawn from the soil 106, and, after heating the heat transfer fluid, by cooling the heat transfer fluid by heating the air of the building interior 118. In the illustrated embodiment, heating and cooling the heat transfer fluid is performed in the heat exchangers 130 and 132 of the heat pump 122.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a system 200 for conditioning air in a building B is illustrated. The system 200 comprises a first conduit 202 buried in a soil 204 at a given, first depth D1 and a second conduit 206 buried in the soil 204 at a second depth D2 superior to the first depth D1. The first and second conduits 202 and 206 each have a breathable wall 208 and 210, respectively. The system 200 further includes a perforated conduit 212 disposed in the building B. The perforated conduit 212 longitudinally extends in a region 214 of an interior 216 of the building B where an air temperature of the interior 216 of the building B is superior to an average air temperature in the building B. Typically, the region is proximate a roof of the building B. The perforated conduit 212 is in fluid communication with the building interior 216 via apertures 218 extending through a peripheral wall 220 of the perforated conduit 212. In the illustrated embodiment, perforated conduit 212 is made from perforated agricultural drains of 6 inches in diameter. In the illustrated embodiment, the apertures 218 are rectangular and each is from 0.04 to 0.08 inch in width by 0.4 inch in length. Any suitable pipe may be used.

In the illustrated embodiment, the system 200 further includes a plate P buried in the soil 204 at a prescribed depth D3 inferior to the depth D2 of the second conduit 206. The plate P may be made of Styrofoam™, but any suitable material may be used. The plate P is offset from the second conduit 206 along a vertical axis V perpendicular to a surface S of the soil 204, and is substantially parallel to the surface S. Stated otherwise, the plate P is disposed over the second conduit 206. In the embodiment shown, the plate P limits the air within the soil 204 at a depth inferior to the prescribed depth D3 from being drawn in the second conduit 206 and favors the air below the plate P, which is colder, to be drawn in the second conduit 206. Such a plate P may be used in conjunction with the systems 10 and 100 of FIGS. 1-4.

The system 200 further includes at least one, two in the embodiment shown, distribution conduits 222 disposed proximate a floor 224 of the building B. The distribution conduits 222 each have a breathable wall 226 in fluid communication with the soil 204. In the embodiment shown, the distribution conduits 222 are buried within a bed of gravel 228 disposed proximate the building floor 224. In the illustrated embodiment, the distribution conduits 222 are made from perforated agricultural drains as the perforated conduit 212. Any suitable pipe may be used.

The first 202, second 206, perforated 212 and distribution 222 conduits are fluidly connected with one another via a vertical conduit 230 extending from the second depth D2 toward the building roof 214. Valves 232 and 234 are disposed along the vertical conduit 230 to selectively allow fluid communication either between the first and distribution conduits 202 and 222 or between the second and perforated conduits 206 and 212. Other configurations are contemplated.

The system further as a forced air system 236 selectively in fluid communication with a first flow path 238 and a second flow path 240. The first flow path 238 extends from the soil 204 at the second depth D2 toward the roof region 214 of the interior 216 of the building B along the breathable wall 210 of the second conduit 206, the second conduit 206, the vertical conduit 230, the forced air system 236, the perforated conduit 212, and the apertures 218 of the perforated conduit 212. The second flow path 240 extends from the soil 204 at the first depth D1 toward the bed of gravel 228 along the breathable wall 208 of the first conduit 202, the first conduit 202, the vertical conduit 230, the forced air system 236, the distribution conduits 222 and the breathable wall 226 of the distribution conduits 222. In the embodiment shown, the valves 232 and 234 selectively allow fluid communication of the forced air system 236 with the first flow path 238 or the second flow path 240.

Still referring to FIG. 5, during day time, air is drawn from the interior 216 of the building B proximate the roof region 214 of the building B and stored in the soil 204 at the second depth D2. In the embodiment shown, the forced air system 236 is operated such that the air is sucked from the roof region 214 in the perforated conduit 212 and pushed in the soil 204 in the second conduit 206 through its breathable wall 210. In particular embodiment, air is pushed in the first conduit 202 at the first depth D1 and/or in the second conduit 206 at the second depth D2.

During night time, air is drawn back from the soil 204 and injected in the building interior 216. In the illustrated embodiment, the air is drawn from the soil 204 at the first depth D1 via the breathable wall 208 of the first conduit 202. The air drawn back from the soil 204 is injected in the building B proximate the building floor 224 in the bed of gravel 228.

In this embodiment, the sun irradiates the building B increasing the air temperature of the building interior 216 in the roof region 214. The air heated by the sun is stored in the soil 204. The stored air heats the soil 204 and, during the night, it is extracted therefrom to be injected back in the building B. By injecting it near the floor 224, the air from the soil 204, which is warmer than the air in the building during the night, will tend to move upward because of its lower density.

For cooling the building B, the air is extracted from the soil 204, at the first and/or second depth D1, D2, using the forced air system 236 and injected in the building interior 216. In the embodiment shown, for cooling, the air is injecting in the building B via the perforated conduit 212 near the roof. Other configurations are contemplated.

Now referring to FIGS. 6-8, a conduit 300 in accordance with a particular embodiment is illustrated. The conduit 300 may be used for any of the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 1 to 5. In the embodiment shown, the conduit 300 is a Quick4™ Standard Chamber conduit made by the company Infiltrator Water Technologies Inc. In the embodiment shown, a cross-section of the conduit 300 taken along its longitudinal axis L′ has a semi-elliptic shape having a width W of 36 inches and a height H of 12 inches. In a particular embodiment, the conduit 300 is manufactured from a regular conduit cut in half along its longitudinal axis. In the embodiment shown, the conduit 300 has a breathable wall 302 that is semi-elliptic and extends along the longitudinal axis L′ of the conduit 300. The conduit 300 has an open cross-section having an open side 304. In the embodiment shown, the conduit 300 is laid on the soil such that the open side 304 faces away from a surface S intersecting an environment and the soil. In the depicted embodiment, a porous medium such as, but not limited to, a geotextile fabric 306 is disposed between the open side 304 and the soil to avoid particles of the soil, such as sand particles, to be ingested within the conduit 300. In a particular embodiment, the breathable wall is the porous medium.

Still referring to FIGS. 7-8, the breathable wall 302 of the conduit 300 has a plurality of ribs 308 extending circumferentially around the conduit longitudinal axis L′. The breathable wall 302 has inwardly protruding sections 310 protruding toward the interior of the conduit 300 alternating with outwardly protruding sections 312 protruding toward the exterior of the conduit 300. The inwardly and outwardly protruding sections 310 and 312 extend circumferentially around the longitudinal axis L′. In the embodiment shown, an axial width 314 of each of the inwardly protruding sections 310 varies inversely to an axial width 316 of each of the outwardly protruding sections 312.

Each of the inwardly and outwardly protruding sections 310 and 312 are in fluid communication with the soil via apertures 318 extending radially between an inner surface 320 of the breathable wall 302 to an outer surface 322 thereof. In the embodiment shown, the apertures 318 have each have a rectangular shape with dimensions from ⅛ inch to ⅜ inch by from % inch to 1.5 inch.

The system 200 illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 using the conduits depicted in FIGS. 6-8 has been used in a 20 hours period bench test in cold weather. The air temperature at the forced air system outlet 116 was 5.5 degrees Celsius at both the beginning and the end of the 20-hour period. The air temperature of the environment 128 was about −15 degrees Celsius. Such an output temperature allows a coefficient of performance (COP) of about 3 with the heat pump 122, which, in the illustrated embodiment, has a capacity of about 48 000 BTU.

As aforementioned, the system 100 of FIG. 2 may be tuned to cater to different sizes of buildings. As an example, the air of a medium-sized house may be conditioned using one conduit as described in FIGS. 6-8 of a length of 40 feet with a fan of 1000 Watts.

As can be understood, the examples described above and illustrated are intended to be exemplary only. The scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for conditioning air of a building, the system comprising a conduit buried in a soil proximate the building at a given depth such that a temperature of the soil at the given depth is different than an air temperature of an environment of the building, the conduit having a breathable wall in fluid communication with the soil, the system further comprising a forced air system in fluid communication with the conduit, the forced air system operable to draw air from the soil across the breathable wall and along the conduit, the system defining a fluid flow path extending from the breathable wall toward the forced air system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the forced air system has an outlet configured to be in fluid communication with an interior of the building.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the forced air system has an outlet fluidly connected to the environment of the building along the fluid flow path, the system further comprising a heat pump including a heat exchanger having a first conduit in fluid communication with the fluid flow path and a second conduit for circulating a heat transfer fluid, the first conduit in heat exchange relationship with the second conduit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the breathable wall fluidly connects the conduit to the soil via a plurality of apertures extending from an inner surface of the breathable wall to an outer surface thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plate buried in the soil and axially offset from the conduit along a vertical axis perpendicular to a surface of the soil.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the conduit taken across a longitudinal axis thereof has an area of about 340 square inches.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a length of the conduit is about 40 feet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the conduit has an open cross-section, the breathable wall being a porous medium disposed adjacent an open-side of the open cross section.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the porous medium is a geotextile fabric.

10. The system of claim 1, including a network of conduits and the forced air system includes fans, each conduit of the network of conduits in fluid communication with a respective one of the fans of the forced air system.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a perforated conduit in the building proximate a roof of the building, the perforated conduit in fluid communication with the forced air system and with an interior of the building via apertures extending through a peripheral wall of the perforated conduit.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: a distribution conduit in the building proximate a floor of the building, the distribution conduit having a breathable wall in fluid communication with the interior of the building; anda first valve fluidly connected with the forced air system, the perforated conduit, and the distribution conduit, the first valve selectively fluidly connecting the forced air system with the perforated conduit or the distribution conduit.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a second conduit buried in the soil at a depth superior to the given depth, the second conduit having a breathable wall fluidly connected with the soil; anda second valve fluidly connected with the forced air system, the conduit and the second conduit, the second valve selectively fluidly connecting the forced air system with the conduit or the second conduit, the forced air system located between the two valves.

14. A method for operating a system, the method comprising: drawing air contained within a soil at a given depth such that a temperature of the soil at the given depth is different than an air temperature of an environment of a building; andchanging an air temperature of an interior of the building by exchanging heat between air of the interior of the building and air drawn from the soil.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising drawing air from the environment of the building in the soil at the given depth.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising mixing air drawn from the environment with air drawn from the soil.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein, if the temperature of the soil is inferior to the air temperature of the environment, changing the air temperature of the interior of the building comprises: injecting the air drawn from the soil in the interior of the building, orif the temperature of the soil is superior to the air temperature of the environment, changing the air temperature of the interior of the building comprises: heating a heat transfer fluid by cooling the air drawn from the soil; andafter heating the heat transfer fluid, cooling the heat transfer fluid by heating the air of the interior of the building.

18. A method of operating a system, the method comprising: during day time: drawing air located in a building proximate a roof thereof; andstoring roof air, drawn from the building, in the soil at a given depth such that a temperature of the soil at the given depth is different than an air temperature of an environment of a building, andduring night time: drawing air from the soil; andinjecting the air from the soil in the building for heating the building.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein drawing the air from the soil comprises drawing the air from the soil at a depth inferior to the given depth.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein injecting the air from the soil further comprises injecting the air from the soil proximate a floor of the building.