How Does Geothermal Heating and Cooling Work?
Geothermal heating and cooling systems may seem like a complicated piece of equipment to those unfamiliar with them, but the reality is that they are actually quite simple. A geothermal heat pump operates much the same as a regular heat pump, but instead of drawing heat out of the air, heat is drawn out of the ground—which stays approximately 55 degrees all year in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Since you likely do not want your house heated only to 55 degrees, a geothermal heat pump will use electricity to make up the difference. Since the difference in temperature is much smaller than it would be from a traditional air source heat pump, a ground source heat pump uses significantly less electricity to achieve the same results.
In the summer when you want to cool your home, the process works in reverse. Rather than pumping heat out of the ground and into your home, the system pumps the heat out of your home and into the ground. When the coolant has released its heat into the ground, the cooled liquid inside your system’s loop will return to the heat exchanger where cool, dehumidified air is blown into your home.
Although the process is not all that different from a traditional air source heat pump, geothermal heat pumps can consume up to 80 percent less energy! With heating and cooling making up the largest portion of a home’s energy costs, this can add up to tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the system.
If that isn’t good enough for you, geothermal heating and cooling system are eligible for a 30 percent tax credit from the federal government, making them more affordable than ever!
Geothermal Heating and Cooling in Scranton, PA & Wilkes-Barre, PA
If you are interested in installing a geothermal heating and cooling system at your home in the Scranton, PA area, we will assess your home’s geothermal options and provide a no-cost estimate! Call T.E. Spall & Son today!
