Geothermal heating is used all over the world on varying scales to take advantage of the warmer temperature of the Earth both from warmth given off by the Earth’s core and by the dissipation of solar energy absorbed by the soil. In some places, like Iceland, 95% of the homes are heated by geothermal heating through a district heating service while other areas have many individual homes heated by geothermal heating through individual systems.
A geothermal heat pump system uses a long system of polyethylene pipes either in a horizontal or vertical array to soak up warmth from the soil, though there are a few other options as well if your soil doesn’t support these arrangements. Because the ground is warmer than the air in the winter, your system can pull heat out of the ground and deliver it to your home. A geothermal heating system can save you between 50 and 70 percent of the cost of heating with a conventional system.
The type of system that will work best in your location is best assessed by a professional installer of geothermal heating systems.
The length of time that this system will take to pay for itself will vary depending on a variety of factors. In general, the newer the home that this system is installed in, the faster it will pay for itself because a newer home should be more energy efficient with a more airtight envelope to prevent heat loss. Smaller homes are cheaper to heat than larger ones, but floor plans will play into this as well. Paying for a geothermal heating system in a newly built home will, of course, take less time than one that has been retrofitted into an existing home because of the additional work that it takes to fit a system into an existing home.
Depending on where in the country you live, there are a variety of different tax incentives that are or will shortly be available to help home owners offset some of the cost of these heating systems.
A geothermal heating system is a fabulous, green alternative to electric, gas, or wood heating due to its low running and maintenance costs. Once your system is in place, it will basically run by itself because the heat that it collects is naturally occurring. If you are interesting in installing a geothermal heating system into your existing home or a home that you are building, do some research into contractors in your area who have experience with these types of systems. Also, check out the tax incentives in your area so that you can best take advantage of any money saving programs that can help you pay for your investment.
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