Monday, January 7, 2008
A Convenient Truth - Geothermal Heating & Air Conditioning
Geothermal heat pumps are the world's most efficient heating and cooling systems according to the EPA. Some geothermal systems are 500% more efficient than even the most efficient traditional systems.
Although it sounds futuristic and complicated, geothermal heating and cooling (also called ground source heat pump or geoexchange) has been around for decades and is very simple. Geothermal draws on the stable temperature of the ground, around 50 degrees year round, to provide heat in the winter and to dump heat in the summer. A typical 2000 sq foot home can reduce heating and cooling costs to less than $30/month, even in extremely cold or warm climates!
This video is produced by WaterFurnace, the top manufacturer of geothermal heat pumps. But, it is a great introduction to how these remarkable and affordable systems work. You can learn more about how Geoexchange works at the U.S. DOE website or the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium.
"Even though the installation price of a geothermal system can be several times that of an air-source system of the same heating and cooling capacity, the additional costs are returned to you in energy savings in 5–10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for the inside components and 50+ years for the ground loop. There are approximately 40,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year." - U.S. Dept. of Energy
Coming Soon: GreenovationTV.com - The World's First Broadband TV Channel for Healthy Home Improvement
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2 comments:
Very interested in this system, but curious as to how efficient it would be for mostly cooling application in South Florida. All references seem to be Mid-West or Mid-Atlantic States, where there is mild winters and mild summers.
Geothermal works extremely well for a/c only in Florida. McDonald's is even testing a system to use in their Florida stores. Although I hate holding up McDonald's as a bastion of energy conservation - but they do know what saves money - http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com/content/story/climate/11162007
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