Homeowners across North America are searching for better ways to get more out of their energy dollar. Many have found that a geothermal heat pump can help. Geothermal energy not only costs less to operate than any other heating and cooling system, but it also helps preserve our natural resources and lessens our dependency on fossil fuels.
A Geothermal heat pump or “ground-source” heat pump only uses electricity to operate equipment. Water is used as the heat transfer medium and the earth supplies the clean renewable energy. In the winter heat is extracted from the ground and moved to your home. In the summer the process is reversed and indoor heat is absorbed from your home and transferred to the mild temperature of the earth.
For every one unit of energy purchased to operate a geothermal unit, it delivers four to five units of energy and the energy from the earth is free. In many scenarios, a geothermal system is significantly less expensive to operate than ordinary heating and cooling systems. Geothermal systems can save up to 70% in heating costs, up to 50% in cooling costs, and around 30% – 50% in hot water costs.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Geothermal systems are “the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost effective space conditioning system s available today”. The U.S. department of Energy (DOE) predicts that electricity priced will remain stable over the next twenty years, allowing some increase for inflation. Fuel oil, natural gas, and propane gas have begun rising at a much higher rate. Geothermal technology is a great solution to global warming and high energy costs.