Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Geothermal heating and cooling delivers the heat of the earth to your home or business in the winter. In the summer, the opposite occurs and the heat from your home or business is transferred back to the earth. The natural thermal energy underground is a free and unlimited resource. The temperature underground remains consistent all year-round. Home and business owners in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC have significantly reduced their energy expenses, while enjoying the highest possible level of comfort by choosing a geothermal heat pump.

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How a geothermal heat pump (GHP) works:
It handles both heating and cooling by transferring heat. In the winter, the GHP captures heat from the earth and directs it indoors. In summer, when the process is reversed, the GHP absorbs the heat from indoor air and transfers it back into the earth. The only additional energy geothermal heating and cooling requires is a small amount of electricity to move the heat. It is more efficient to move heat versus using electricity or a fossil fuel to generate it. This means a GHP has an extraordinarily low operating cost. It works by concentrating naturally existing heat, rather than by producing heat through combustion of fossil fuels.

Sometimes called ground-source heat pumps, it requires 40% to 70% less energy than conventional methods. They are even significantly better energy savers than standard heat pumps (which are already very energy efficient). An ENERGY STAR® qualified geothermal heat pump uses about 30% less energy than a standard heat pump, and qualifies you for a tax credit of 30% of the cost of a system to replace your old furnace or air conditioner.

Installation costs for geothermal heating and cooling systems are cost competitive with the labor involved to put in a combination central air conditioning and heating unit, because the additional cost is returned to you within 5 to 10 years of utility savings, according to the US Department of Energy.

Additional benefits of geothermal energy:

• Geothermal heating and cooling improves both outdoor and indoor air quality. Because there is no combustion to make heat, there are no indoor air pollutants. The reduction of carbon emissions (outdoor air pollution) is significant. If you cut your electricity use by half, you eliminate half of your carbon footprint from power generation. You reduce the fossil fuels burned to transport oil or propane gas to your home or business. You reduce the dependency on oil. G=G - geothermal equals green.
• GHP systems can provide inexpensive hot water, either to supplement or replace a conventional, domestic water heater.
• Since there is no outdoor unit as with standard heat pumps or conventional central air conditioners, no weather-related maintenance is required.