|
Geothermal Heat Pump
Resource |
|
|
|
|
|
The Basics
Installing geothermal heating and cooling starts by installing a ground loop. This ground loop circulates a substance that gathers energy that is used for heat in the summer and that is used for cooling in the winter. This energy is simply the energy already produced by the sun and stored in the Earth. The true beauty of geothermal heating and cooling is the fact that is taking advantage of energy that is already there. This means that, as opposed to fossil fuels, you are not consuming dirty resources to heat and cool your home and you are not causing the environmental consequences that come with mining, shipping and trucking those fossil fuels around the world. You're quite literally gathering your heating and cooling energy from your own backyard.
The Benefits
Geothermal heating and cooling can provide adequate climate control for the vast majority of homes. Installing geothermal heating and cooling, however, does require that you consult with a professional first so they can give you an accurate estimate of how much it will cost you to install it at your location and how efficient it is likely to be in your location. There are some differences depending upon the region in which you live. Overall, however, this is becoming one of the most popular and is certainly one of the most efficient options for environmentally-friendly home heating and cooling.
|
|
You can look forward to a significant decrease in the amount of money you pay every month toward your energy bills. You may pay a bit more for installing geothermal heating and cooling but, in the long run, you will end up saving money. If this is the kind of green that motivates you, you will not be disappointed.
Installing geothermal heating and cooling can be done in many different ways. There are systems that are designed to be installed inside the home and systems that are designed to be installed in exterior locations. Depending upon the climate in which you live and the structures that you have available on your property, the installer can work with you to find a suitable solution. There are also products available that can provide heating for swimming pools using only geothermal energy, which is a great way to take something that is normally a very wasteful enterprise—heating something used entirely for recreation with dirty fossil fuels—and transform it into a much more sustainable, and therefore enjoyable, way to cool off in the summer. |
Thermal Ground Heating and Cooling
Looking at the bill you pay for heating and cooling is never a pleasant thing. Particularly if you live in an area with severe winters, you're probably paying an awful lot for heating and cooling your home. Thermal ground heating is one of the best options for people who want to get out of the cycle of paying too much for the energy that they consume. With these systems, you have the option of actually getting no utility bill at all for heating and cooling your home.
Understanding Ground Heating and Cooling
Ground heating and cooling operates on a simple concept. The very earth that you're standing on serves as a reservoir for energy. You can draw heat energy from the earth to heat your home in the winter and you can take heat energy from your home and deposit it into the earth in the summer. This is a very simple concept, of course, but it takes some pretty sophisticated technology to make it all work. The basic elements of any geothermal heating and cooling system are a heat pump and a ground loop that circulates an anti-freeze that distributes the heat to the ground in the summer and the heat to the house in the winter.
| ReadMore... |
Are you building a home and looking for a custom, geothermal heat pump home? Visit my home design site at www.rye-homes.com for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
Phillip Rye
Licensed Civil Engineer, Home
Designer, & Residential
Energy Expert
