Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Ground or Water Source Geothermal Heating and Cooling systems capitalize on the ground’s constant water and earth temperature not far beneath the earth’s surface. The earth connection, typically called a loop, works as an exchange system. The geothermal exchange system works on a different principle than an ordinary furnace/air conditioning system, and it requires little maintenance or attention from homeowners. Furnaces must create heat by burning a fuel--typically natural gas, propane, or fuel oil. With geothermal ground contact heat exchange systems, there's no need to create heat, hence no need for chemical combustion. Instead, the earth's natural heat is collected in winter through pipes, the loop, installed below the surface of the ground. This free geothermal energy is an unlimited, renewable resource. The lot surrounding a typical suburban home contains 10 times more energy than is required over an entire heating season. This resource is constantly replenished by the sun and by moving water in aquifers beneath the surface.
According to an EPA study titled “Space Conditioning, The Next Frontier” (Report 430-R-93-004), the Department of Energy and the EPA recognized geothermal systems as the most environmentally friendly, cost-effective and energy efficient heating and cooling technology available. So you can make a significant contribution to a cleaner environment - while saving up to 60% on your home’s energy bills. Consider this; the electric company provides electricity to homes everywhere. The electric company’s whole business is making electricity as efficiently as it can. When we heat and cool our homes with fossil fuels, we are creating tons of waste and pollution. The amount of additional pollution that the electric company has to make to power the geothermal heat pump in your home is a fraction of the pollution that the fossil fuel based system in your home creates. Geothermal does reduce pollution, and does so while reducing your carbon foot print on the Earth.
The Environment:
The usage of electricity as a means to heat and cool your building alone would not be a cost effective solution. Although, using electricity coupled with a ground source heat pump is the best and most cost effective solution available in today’s market. Utilizing the earth-connection as a “fuel” will actually save money; and our geothermal systems operate at a much higher efficiency about 400%. The system utilizes 1 unit of power in, and 4 units of heating/cooling units out. Geothermal systems also minimize the threats of acid rain, air pollution, the greenhouse effect, and global warming - problems directly linked to the burning of fossil fuels. Water/ground source heat pumps do not inject anything into the earth that would not otherwise be there, so their impact is very small. In an open-loop system, the water is pumped out of the earth, and heat energy is extracted and then returned to the earth. In a closed-loop system, water and a food-grade antifreeze mix is circulated through the vertical pipes in deep bore holes, acting as a heat-sink (or “cool-sink, if you will). A typical 2,500 square-foot home with a geothermal system saves the electric utility company from having to burn more than nine additional tons of coal a year compared to an electric resistance heating system. And this savings increases with larger installations.
The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates that if geothermal systems were installed by more people, they could save several billion dollars annually in energy costs and substantially reduce pollution. In fact, for every 100,000 residential units installed, more than 37.5 trillion BTUs of energy used for space conditioning and water heating can be saved. This represents an emissions reduction of about 2.18 million metric tons of carbon equivalents, and cost savings to consumers of about $750 million over the 20-year life of the equipment. Geothermal heat pumps strengthen U.S. energy security. Every 100,000 homes with geothermal heat pump systems reduce foreign oil consumption by 2.15 million barrels annually and reduce electricity consumption by 799 million kilowatt hours annually. Try to imagine the amount of oil the United State imports and uses for home heating; also consider the world pressures and chaos created from and by oil. Try to imagine oil not being part of the global economy.
Ground or Water Source Geothermal Heating and Cooling systems capitalize on the ground’s constant water and earth temperature not far beneath the earth’s surface. The earth connection, typically called a loop, works as an exchange system. The geothermal exchange system works on a different principle than an ordinary furnace/air conditioning system, and it requires little maintenance or attention from homeowners. Furnaces must create heat by burning a fuel--typically natural gas, propane, or fuel oil. With geothermal ground contact heat exchange systems, there's no need to create heat, hence no need for chemical combustion. Instead, the earth's natural heat is collected in winter through pipes, the loop, installed below the surface of the ground. This free geothermal energy is an unlimited, renewable resource. The lot surrounding a typical suburban home contains 10 times more energy than is required over an entire heating season. This resource is constantly replenished by the sun and by moving water in aquifers beneath the surface.
According to an EPA study titled “Space Conditioning, The Next Frontier” (Report 430-R-93-004), the Department of Energy and the EPA recognized geothermal systems as the most environmentally friendly, cost-effective and energy efficient heating and cooling technology available. So you can make a significant contribution to a cleaner environment - while saving up to 60% on your home’s energy bills. Consider this; the electric company provides electricity to homes everywhere. The electric company’s whole business is making electricity as efficiently as it can. When we heat and cool our homes with fossil fuels, we are creating tons of waste and pollution. The amount of additional pollution that the electric company has to make to power the geothermal heat pump in your home is a fraction of the pollution that the fossil fuel based system in your home creates. Geothermal does reduce pollution, and does so while reducing your carbon foot print on the Earth.
The Environment:
The usage of electricity as a means to heat and cool your building alone would not be a cost effective solution. Although, using electricity coupled with a ground source heat pump is the best and most cost effective solution available in today’s market. Utilizing the earth-connection as a “fuel” will actually save money; and our geothermal systems operate at a much higher efficiency about 400%. The system utilizes 1 unit of power in, and 4 units of heating/cooling units out. Geothermal systems also minimize the threats of acid rain, air pollution, the greenhouse effect, and global warming - problems directly linked to the burning of fossil fuels. Water/ground source heat pumps do not inject anything into the earth that would not otherwise be there, so their impact is very small. In an open-loop system, the water is pumped out of the earth, and heat energy is extracted and then returned to the earth. In a closed-loop system, water and a food-grade antifreeze mix is circulated through the vertical pipes in deep bore holes, acting as a heat-sink (or “cool-sink, if you will). A typical 2,500 square-foot home with a geothermal system saves the electric utility company from having to burn more than nine additional tons of coal a year compared to an electric resistance heating system. And this savings increases with larger installations.
The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates that if geothermal systems were installed by more people, they could save several billion dollars annually in energy costs and substantially reduce pollution. In fact, for every 100,000 residential units installed, more than 37.5 trillion BTUs of energy used for space conditioning and water heating can be saved. This represents an emissions reduction of about 2.18 million metric tons of carbon equivalents, and cost savings to consumers of about $750 million over the 20-year life of the equipment. Geothermal heat pumps strengthen U.S. energy security. Every 100,000 homes with geothermal heat pump systems reduce foreign oil consumption by 2.15 million barrels annually and reduce electricity consumption by 799 million kilowatt hours annually. Try to imagine the amount of oil the United State imports and uses for home heating; also consider the world pressures and chaos created from and by oil. Try to imagine oil not being part of the global economy.
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