Until relatively recently, an unlimited free energy source to heat and cool your home went unexploited. Today, all that’s changed. Residential geothermal heating and cooling is now the most efficient, fastest-growing green energy source in the U.S. Just a few feet below your feet, the temperature of the earth never deviates much from an average of 45 to 70 degrees.

Geothermal heat pump technology utilizes that steady underground heat to warm and cool your house. The system incorporates an indoor heat pump connected to loops of plastic tubing buried on your property. Filled with a circulating solution of anti-freeze and water, the underground loop system trades heat with the earth, absorbing it for heating during winter and dispersing heat from the home for summer cooling. Here are some of the benefits of geothermal heating and cooling in residential applications:

  • The energy costs of using geothermal heat pumps can be up to 70 percent less than conventional gas or electric heating and cooling.
  • Geothermal produces no combustion. This means no open flames, no odors and no danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. The system emits no CO2 or other greenhouse gases.
  • Geothermal systems have few moving parts and therefore have low maintenance and long expected service life. The heat pump technology is simple and straightforward, and the loops of underground (or underwater) tubing usually carry warranties of up to 50 years.
  • The high air volume of a geothermal system provides more even temperature distribution throughout the home than the hot/cold spots experienced with gas-fired furnaces.
  • Savings from reduction in energy use eventually exceed the relatively high cost of installing a geothermal system. The payback period varies, but can be as little as three to eight years for retrofit applications. In new construction, the cost of geothermal can be included in the mortgage. The monthly energy savings will usually offset the increase in the monthly mortgage payment.
  • A 30 percent federal tax credit for geothermal installation has been extended until 2016, further shortening the payback period for residential geothermal.

Comfort Systems’ mission is to achieve a safe, comfortable home for customers in Wichita and the surrounding area. Contact us for more information on clean, efficient geothermal technology.

 

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