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Geothermal...worth the cost?
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jun 16 2011
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Residential Geothermal Heat Pumps…worth the cost?

Have you ever walked into a cave in the middle of July or August and noticed that it felt like an air

conditioner was on? What if you were told that your house could feel the same way at a fraction of the

cost of traditional cooling? What if it worked for heating too?

This isn’t science fiction, its science-fact! Geothermal Heat Exchangers are a great way to effectively and

efficiently heat and cool your house at a fraction of the annual cost of traditional furnaces and air

conditioners.

First, how does it work? Well the answer is somewhat complex, but the simple version is something you

likely learned in elementary or middle school. Heat moves to cold and tries to balance the temperature.

Geothermal heat pumps use that lesson and move water through a series of curved underground pipes

to move heat either into or out of your house. In the winter, while you may feel that the ground is very

cold, there is still usable heat in it. The system pulls that heat into the water or other refrigerant in the

pipes and into the house. In the summer, it takes the heat from the house and disburses it throughout

the cooler ground to maintain your home’s temperature throughout the year.

There is also an add-on component called a “desuperheater” that acts as a water heater, but we can

save that for another time.

How much does all of this cost?

Initially the price is higher than a typical air-to-air heat pump, but over

the long term, it is significantly less expensive to maintain and run. Some systems can produce heat for

as little as 1/5th of the typical cost and cool up to 30 times more efficiently as central air systems. With

much of the system protected underground, maintenance is limited and when you add in possible

federal, state and local tax credits (with the federal credits in 2010 having no maximum limit for

geothermal while other systems had a maximum credit of $1500), this high efficiency system is both a

great investment in your home and a selling point should you decide to sell in the future.

Last changed: Jun 19 2011 at 11:26 PM

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