The Benefits
You won't believe the benefits of installing a geothermal heating and cooling system in your new or older home:
- Huge energy cost savings Cost to heat and cool your home and make hot water will be reduced by 40% to 60%.
- They are safe and clean because they do not create carbon monoxide.
They do not use combustible fuels like natural gas, propane and oil.
- Environmentally friendly — According to the Department of Energy and the EPA,
geothermal systems are the most environmentally friendly way to heat and cool your home.
It is GREEN technology. The system emits no carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or other
greenhouse gasses which are considered to be major contributors to environmental
air pollution. With a geothermal system, you can take comfort in a better environment.
In addition, the lower peak demand for geothermal systems helps to postpone the
need to build more expensive electric generating plants.
- Quiet
Unlike ordinary air conditioners or heat pumps, there is no noisy outdoor unit to disturb your outdoor environment or your neighbors. Geothermal units are designed and constructed for "whisper quiet" operation, similar to your refrigerator. Some models include variable speed fan motors and acoustical enclosures for the compressors.
- Reliable
Unlike air conditioners and heat pumps, geothermal units are installed indoors (like your refrigerator), so they are not subject to wear and tear caused by rain, snow, ice, debris, extreme temperatures or vandalism. Geothermal units have proven to be very reliable and require less maintenance.
- Flexible
Geothermal systems are installed in homes from the cold climate of northern Canada and Alaska to the heat of Florida and Texas. Whether your home is new or old, large or small, a geothermal system will deliver. One compact unit provides heating, central air conditioning and domestic hot water. Various sizes, configurations (horizontal, vertical, splits), and options enable a system to be installed in virtually any application.
Lower operating cost
A geothermal system operates more efficiently than ordinary heating and air conditioning systems because they can deliver an astounding four units of energy for every one unit of electrical energy used. This translates into an efficiency rating of 400%, compared to the most efficient gas furnace which rates only 94%. By combining stored earth energy with safe electric power, many homeowners realize savings up to 60% for heating, cooling and hot water.
Example: If it costs $4000.00 to heat and cool your home with gas, oil or electric, you will cut your energy cost by $1600.00 to $2400.00 annually. That is $16,000.00 to $24,000 in 10 years!
"Energy savings and Economics" article from Geo Journal.
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• | Hot water during the summer is virtually free as the geo unit transfers the heat from your house to your hot water heater. During the winter, the cost is greatly reduced as the geo unit transfers the heat from the earth to your hot water heater. |
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• | Initial higher installation cost pay back is only 3-5 years! After that, it is money in your pocket! |
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• | Units last long and maintenance costs are low because the entire unit is installed inside. |
HOMEOWNERS BENEFIT WITH "DOWN TO EARTH" COMFORT SYSTEM
Geothermal heating and cooling systems, also known as GeoExchange systems, tap into the constant, moderate temperatures found below the surface of the earth, to offer the finest in home comfort conditioning. "Geothermal" means pertaining to the heat of the earth, and it’s literally right there in your own backyard. The lot surrounding a suburban home or other building contains a vast reservoir of low-temperature thermal energy— typically 10 times the amount required over an entire heating season. This resource is constantly re-supplied by the sun and the surrounding earth.
Highly efficient geothermal systems use a small amount of energy to capture and move a large amount of free energy. In a typical home, 70% of the total energy bill comes from heating, cooling and hot water. As a result, the greatest opportunity to reduce your energy costs is to improve the efficiency of your heating, cooling and hot water system by this "down to earth" technology. And this energy source is free, renewable, clean and environmentally friendly. A geothermal system captures this free energy from the earth by using a series of pipes (an earth loop) typically buried in vertical wells in the ground.
During the heating mode, a special fluid circulates through the pipe where heat energy is transferred from the ground (the heat source) to the fluid, and then to the geothermal unit located in the home, providing warm comfort to the structure. Inside the home, the heat can be distributed through either a conventional duct system or a hydronic radiant heat system.
To provide air conditioning, the process reverses. Heat is removed from the home and transferred to the loop fluid. As the warm fluid travels through the pipe in the earth, it is cooled. In the cooling mode, the earth serves as a "heat sink", a place to deposit the heat removed from the home. In addition to earth loops, geothermal systems can also use a pond, leak or well water as the heat source or heat sink to provide heating and cooling comfort to the home.
As a bonus, a geothermal unit can provide some or all of your hot water at higher efficiencies, offering additional energy savings. Using a simple connection to your water heater, the geothermal unit will deliver hot water to the tank during the heating and cooling modes. In fact, the heat removed from your home during cooling is deposited into your water heater providing you with virtually free hot water.
A geothermal system can easily be installed in most homes – new or old, large or small. With many sizes, configurations and options available, the system will be designed and installed to provide the homeowner with many years of reduced energy costs, enhanced comfort, safety and reliability—all from a technology that’s "down to earth".
Selecting a Water Furnace geothermal system is not only a smart investment in affordable comfort, but also a smart investment in the preservation of the environment for generations to come. That’s why it’s "Smarter from the Ground Up".
Adapted from the "Geothermal Journal"