What You Should Know About Geothermal Heat Pumps

Geothermal heating is a great option for people in certain parts of the country who want to save money on energy while also implementing an environmentally-friendly heating solution. Many people, however, are unfamiliar with what geothermal heating is, how it works and the kinds of benefits it can provide to a household.

Here are just a few facts you should know about this kind of heating to help you make an informed decision about whether or not you’ll seek out geothermal heat pump installation in central Kansas.

There are some significant upfront costs

One of the reasons why people tend to be hesitant to install geothermal heating at their home is because there are some large upfront costs involved—often tens of thousands of dollars, depending on soil conditions, the size of the plot and the accessibility of the site. You might need to make some modifications to your home’s ductwork, and there will be excavation involved.

However, you might recoup these costs within just a few years, depending on utility rates in your area and the cost of installation, given how much energy you’ll save in using geothermal heating.

It works sort of like a refrigerator

Perhaps the best way to describe geothermal heating to someone who’s unfamiliar with it is to compare it to a standard kitchen fridge. The fridge extracts heat from the interior and transfers it into the kitchen. The same principal exists in geothermal heating, with the heat pump extracting that heat from the ground to transfer into your home through a series of underground pipes filled with either water or an antifreeze solution. Those loops are hooked up to the geothermal pump located in your home that serves as your furnace and air conditioner. The heat then gets distributed through a forced-air or hydronic system.

The process works in reverse during the cooling season, with the pump removing heat from your home and transferring it to the earth.

There are many benefits

We’ve already mentioned the fact that the operational costs for geothermal heating and cooling are significantly lower than most other common types of systems. However, it’s also important to note that the energy a geothermal system does use is clean, renewable energy. There is no combustion, which means no emission of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, and no combustion safety issues to be aware of. The sun is the primary deliverer of energy.

Geothermal energy can be installed with new construction or as a retrofit solution for an existing home. It runs much quieter than other types of heating and cooling systems, because there isn’t a noisy compressor or fan. The systems also tend to be low maintenance and long lasting—you can expect to get at least about 25 years out of your components, versus about 15 years for a conventional furnace or air conditioner.

For more information about geothermal heat pump installation in central Kansas and why you should consider going that route, contact KVK Inc. today.

Categorised in: Geothermal Heat Pump Installation

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