A conception with ground as a heat sink directly for cooling of the buildings in cold areas is presented. A corresponding experimental system was constructed in Harbin area and operated in summer in 2006. Some important performance parameters, such as the cooling seasonal performance factor (CSPF) and the average heat rejection rate unit depth of borehole, were obtained and some analyses for the system characteristics are made. The experimental results show that the ground sink direct cooling system (GSDCS) presented has great potentialities in energy saving within a specified region. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.