Geothermal Heating: Heat Your Home The Most Efficient Way

Online, November 11, 2010 (Newswire.com) - As the weather gets colder and thermostats are cranked up, homeowners start thinking about the high costs of oil, gas, and electric heating. This is the time of the year when BAIR Necessities starts to get a lot of calls asking about Geothermal heating. People want to know: What is Geothermal heating? How effective is it? Can it really save money? To help people understand Geothermal heating, Bair Necessities put together the following guide.

What is Geothermal heating?

Many people don't know that even the cold winter air contains some heat. An ordinary heat pump works by transferring this heat from the cool outside air into the house. Obviously in winter weather, a regular heat pump has to work pretty hard to produce 70-degree temperatures inside your home. This is why geothermal heat pumps are so much more efficient and affordable.

Unlike the outside air, which gets drastically hotter or cooler depending on the season, geothermal heat pumps rely on a more stable source-a layer of heat found only three meters under the ground. Across the United States, the upper three meters of the Earth's surface maintains a nearly constant temperature between 50 and 60°F. Those who have visited an underground cavern or cave have experienced this phenomenon. The cave remains a moderate temperature year round-cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Geothermal heating utilizes this stable source of heat just under the earth's surface to heat homes. Geothermal heat pumps circulate a fluid through pipes buried in the ground. As the fluid circulates underground it absorbs heat from the ground and, on its return, the now warm fluid passes through the heat pump, which uses electricity to extract the heat from the fluid. The extracted heat is used to heat the house. The re-chilled fluid is sent back through the ground, continuing the cycle.

In summer, the process is reversed. The underground loop draws excess heat from the house and allows it to be absorbed by the earth. The heat is exhausted to the cool soil (rather than pumping it into to the hot outside air, like an air conditioner, which is very inefficient and energy-consuming).

How Effective and Efficient is Geothermal heating?

Geothermal heating is extremely efficient, quiet, non-polluting, and good for the environment. In fact, according to the Department of Energy, Geothermal heating is 300%-600% efficient on the coldest of winter nights, compared to 175%-250% efficiency for air-source heat pumps. And the EPA found that Geothermal Heat Pumps are 48% more efficient than the best gas furnaces and over 75% more efficient than oil furnaces.

How Does Geothermal Heating Save on Heating Bills?

Geothermal heating is much cheaper because it is so much more efficient than other heat and energy sources and it requires only a small amount of electricity to run. Read below for some stats on how much one can save on Geothermal heating.

· Geothermal systems typically shave 70% off heating bills and 40% off cooling bills-an average savings of $1200 a year, or $100 a month.
· Electric bills for a 2,000 sq. ft. home can be reduced to as low as $1 a day, using a Geothermal system.
· Geothermal Heat Pumps provide free hot water by utilizing the waste heat removed from the home's interior. This can result in a total savings in hot water costs of about 30% annually.
· According to the Department of Energy, it takes an average of 5-10 years to recoup the cost of a geothermal system (through monthly utility bill savings).
· The federal government is rewarding homeowners for switching to Geothermal. People who install geothermal heating and air conditioning will receive an energy tax credit of up to 30% of the purchase and installation price. This incentive is in effect until December 31, 2016.
· Maryland residents in Anne Arundel county can also take advantage of a county energy tax credit on geothermal systems, worth up to $2,500.

BAIR Necessities was one of the first geothermal contractors in Maryland, with over a decade of installation experience. We are also one of the few contractors to have earned a Geopro certification. For more information on Geothermal heating and installation, please contact BAIR Necessities at 410.721.4142 or visit us at bairnecessities.com.