Geothermal Comfort & Efficiency
Friday, December 18th, 2009
When it comes to the best way to heat your home, there is one option that towers above the others: split geothermal systems.
It is a superior choice because it uses no fossil fuels, is 300 – 400% more efficient than the highest-rated gas furnace, and costs less to operate over time which creates substantial savings on energy bills all year round.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency calls geothermal systems “the most energy efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective space conditioning systems available today.” To back up that endorsement, the government is offering a federal tax credit of 30% of the installation costs for homeowners who install a geothermal system in 2009 or 2010.
How Does It Work?
Geothermal essentially means the heat from inside the earth. Unlike traditional heating systems that burn a fuel to create heat, a geothermal system collects and distributes heat that already exists naturally, with 2/3 of it being free energy from the earth right beneath your feet.
The earth absorbs and stores nearly half of the sun’s energy that hits the earth. A geothermal system taps into that free, renewable energy at a constant temperature and puts it to work in the home. The earth’s natural heat is collected in the winter by a series of pipes called a loop system. The loop carries heat to the home where it’s compressed and released to raise the inside temperature (this process is reversed in the summer).
The loop system is what powers geothermal energy, and there are 4 loop configurations available to match the needs of any new or exiting home. For instance, to retrofit an older home in an exiting neighborhood, the vertical loop is often used because it fits in where land area is limited. Certified and experienced installers can find a way to make geothermal work in most every residential situation.
How Much Do Geothermal Heating Systems Cost?
Geothermal heating systems are more expensive than traditional heating systems, but it is a one-time cost to purchase and install it with no monthly bills to the utility company to heat and cool your home. Compare that to traditional systems that require you to continually pay for fuel and maintenance after the initial purchase and install, and the long-term cost savings of geothermal becomes apparent.
With the rising price of oil, gas, and electricity, a properly installed geothermal heat pump system can literally pay for itself in only few years. Plus, the environmental benefits are tremendous: installing geothermal in a home is equivalent to removing two cars from the road or equal to planting a full acre of new trees.
When building a new home, geothermal is absolutely the way to go. When it’s time to upgrade the system of an existing home, explore all the options available for geothermal retrofit. It is important to work only with proven geothermal professionals to get the system and installation that makes it such a worthwhile investment in comfort and efficiency.
We invite you to call the Mosby office for a recommendation of the company we trust to deliver the knowledge and service needed for geothermal heating and cooling. Call us at 314.909.1800 or contact us here.
