Earth’s heat in, warm air out. And, reverse. Warm air out, cool air in. What is it? It’s one of the most cost-efficient and energy-efficient devices for heating and cooling your home — a geothermal heat pump.
Becoming more popular due to their reliability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness, geothermal heat pumps can keep your home comfortable in all seasons. Geothermal heat pumps capitalize on the earth’s constant 50-70-degree temperature by capturing that energy and using it for heating and cooling. An underground loop system is installed to circulate water that has absorbed the earth’s heat. The geothermal heat pump unit compresses the water to the right temperature and sends it as warm air into your home. For cooling, the system reverses and expels heat from the home into the earth. Instead of burning fossil fuels to create heat, a geothermal system simply moves the heat, making it more energy efficient. The earth’s steady temperature provides a renewable heating and cooling source, even when the air temperature is extreme.
The underground loop system can range from a small, closed loop in a space of 15 square feet (vertical loop) or a long loop up to 45 feet, located 10 feet away from the home (horizontal loop). Both loops use a special grade of polyethylene pipe designed to last more than 50 years, and because there are very few moving parts, a geothermal system is virtually maintenance-free. In addition, excess heat can supplement your hot water heater, making it more cost-effective. While a geothermal unit may be more expensive to install, the monthly cost of heating and cooling is lower and the investment can be recovered in a few years. You can breathe easy by moving air in and out of your home with a geothermal heat pump.
