Geothermal becoming a popular heating, cooling system

If you would have asked anyone about geothermal heating 20 years ago, they would have looked at you confused. They probably would ask if lava was involved that wouldn't be safe for the kids. Today, in a world of polluting fossil fuels and skyrocketing energy prices, geothermal is now becoming a popular alternative.

I admit that when I first learned about geothermal energy for heating about 10 years ago, I was more than a little skeptical. The basic premise is that you don’t really artificially heat or cool the air like a forced air heating and central air cooling system. Instead, pipes are buried underground below the frost line where regardless of the temperature above the ground, the pipes all stay around 60-70 degrees. Even if the air that is blown into the pipe is 90 degrees or 3 above zero, by the time it reaches the other end, the temperature is about 70.

You don’t need gas or electricity to heat and cool. It just needs a fan to blow it through the building. There is a large initial upfront cost because of the digging and equipment involved, but it pays for itself in a few years. Sales for geothermal systems are going through the roof, especially in new construction and businesses. It’s new and novel approach to heating and the people selling it can put the word green on the package. As someone that has personally seen the impact geothermal can have on heating and cooling costs, I can’t say enough good things about it.

The only caveat to this are in times of extreme heat and cold. The air that goes into the home is a steady temperature, but a backup heating system is usually a good idea in case the geothermal system can’t keep up. I have known several people that have geothermal systems and they absolutely love it. It helps homeowners save money and businesses get to act environmentally conscious.

Photo courtesy of Sterling Heating & Air Conditioning Inc.