Four Things You Should Know About Geothermal Heat Pumps

When it comes to heating and cooling your home, you want a reliable, cost-efficient, energy-efficient method that will keep your home comfortable all year long. Geothermal heat pumps are a great way to do this, and while they've been in use for over half a century, most people know little to nothing about them. We're working to change that by sharing four things you should know about them.

How Do Geothermal Heat Pumps Work?

First, before we go into their benefits and other pertinent information, it's important to have a basic idea of what a geothermal heat pump is and how it works. Looking at the word geothermal, you can probably tell it involves taking heat from the earth as "Geo" is Greek for earth and "therm" is the Greek root for heat.

No matter how cold the air temperature is, the temperature at around 30 feet below the surface is generally consistent all year long and is typically equal to the mean temperature of the area. In Raleigh, the ground temperature at 30 feet deep is around 60 to 65 degrees year round. By tapping into that ground temperature, your home can be heated and cooled by installing a coiled pipe underground, leading into your home and back out again. The pipe is filled with anti-freeze and attaches to a heat pump.

To cool your home, the pipes pull heat from your home through the heat pump, cycle it under ground where it's around 60 degrees, then the cooled air is pulled back up into your home. To heat your home, the heat pump reverses itself to pull heat from the 60 degree earth, concentrate that warmer air, and cycle it into your home.

Geothermal Heat Pumps Are Incredibly Cost Efficient

Once the pipes and unit is installed, a geothermal heat pump is incredibly efficient. A heat pump that is pulling 30 degree air through the compressor to heat it is going to have to work harder to do so than one that is pulling 60 degree air. Conversely, cooling your home is much cheaper with a geothermal heat pump too because cooling 90 degree air is going to use more energy than cooling 60 degree air. According to the Energy Informative, homeowners save up to 70 percent on heating and up to 50 percent on cooling compared to the traditional HVAC systems. This can save you as much as $1,500 per year.

Geothermal Heat Pumps Last Longer

In addition to saving you money on your monthly energy bills, the system is designed to last much longer than a furnace or cooling system, making it a long-term investment. The underground pipes last around 50 years or longer, while the heat pump itself and all the components last around 25 years. A traditional HVAC unit or heat pump will only last between 10 and 15 years.

Minimize Your Energy Demands and Carbon Emissions

Having a geothermal heat pump is a great step to making your home more eco-friendly. Your heating and cooling system is responsible for a majority of the energy consumed in your home, but by making the shift with a new system, you can keep your home comfortable and sustainable. You aren't using natural gas or oil at all, and the electricity the heat pump requires to run is fairly low compared to an air conditioner system. In fact for every unit of energy needed to power your system, four units of heat is supplied, making it around 400 percent efficient, compared to a high-efficiency gas furnace only providing around 97 percent efficiency. Thus, your carbon footprint has been rapidly decreased.

Minimal Maintenance Is Required

While a traditional HVAC system needs seasonal maintenance and cleaning to run its best as well as monthly filter changes, a geothermal system is designed to be very low-maintenance. Change the filter around every three months, then every three to five years, have a qualified geothermal energy technician inspect it for any concerns.

Heat and Cool Your Home with a Geothermal Heat Pump

If you're ready to reduce your energy bills and make your home more comfortable all year long, we can help. Call us today at 919-291-4063 or fill out the form below to learn more about geothermal well drilling, system repair, and more. We serve Raleigh, Apex, Cary, Durham, Garner, Wilson, and all the surrounding areas.