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Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Geothermal heating and cooling systems, also called Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP), provide heating and cooling by exchanging heat with the ground. These systems take advantage of the fact that the temperature of the ground remains relatively constant throughout the year, ranging from 45° to 75° F. Depending upon the season, the ground can serve as a heat source, or a heat sink.
Implementation of a Geothermal conditioning system provides anywhere from 20% to 60% savings in utility bills. In addition, even though the initial installation costs can be high, the relatively short payback period of 6-7 years makes up for the upfront investment. After this period, it’s a low maintenance, energy efficient HVAC system for your home.
Savings by Geothermal Heating and Cooling System
At the moment, geothermal systems installed homes are qualified for a 30% federal tax credit. In addition to this, most states or electric utilities provide rebates, or grants to homes using geothermal energy systems. This can also drive down geothermal heat pump costs significantly. To find out if you are eligible for the rebate, head over to the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.
Your electricity utility bills will also take a nosedive. An estimated 42% of home energy use is for heating needs. The use of geothermal systems can reduce this usage by 50%, depending on site specifics. Same is the case with greenhouse emissions.
With an average life of 20-25 years, geothermal heating and cooling systems can result in up to $75,000 in energy savings during the course of their lifetime. The pay off period is much shorter than that, ranging from 5-8 years on average.
Benefits Of Geothermal
Safe Flammable fossil fuels are not used to operate geothermal units. Because there is no combustion, there is no chance of explosion, hazardous fumes or risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Lower Operational Costs Geothermal systems have efficiency ratings of 400 to 500 percent. An efficiency rating is the ratio of heat actually generated versus the amount of energy used to produce the head. A rating of less than 100 percent means you are losing heat that you are paying for. This loss is typically caused by energy consumption required for the combustion process of a fossil fuel furnace. The most efficient natural gas furnace cannot compete at a rating of only 95 percent.
Green Geothermal systems have a positive impact on the environment since they burn no fossil fuels and operate on a modest amount of electricity. According to the United States Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, geothermal systems are the most environmentally friendly way to heat and cool your home. They do not emit greenhouse gasses, which are known to contribute to environmental air pollution.
Peacefully Quiet Conventional air conditioners and heat pumps require noisy outdoor equipment. Geothermal systems do not. In fact, there are some systems which have "cabinet" design that isolates the unit's compressor, all but eliminating any rattling or vibration caused by system operation.
Bonus Hot Water Geothermal systems have the capability of capturing reclaimed heat during heating and cooling modes and using it to heat domestic water. This application can reduce the water heating cost of four-person household by up to 50 percent. You may hear this referred to as "Hot Water Assist" or "Hybrid Hot Water" and is a function of the units desuperheater component option.
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