Geothermal energy has emerged in recent decades as one of the best solutions for clean, safe and renewable energy generation around the planet. The U.S. has some of the best potential for harnessing this underground resource for large-scale electrical generation, or individually for home heating and cooling, where high installation costs are decreasing.
These systems use the heat that's stored underground to provide efficient heating and cooling for homes, as well as offering the potential for water heating in the summer. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that geothermal heating and cooling systems can save up to 70 percent on home heating bills and as much as 50 percent on cooling costs over conventional forced-air systems. Today's geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) are capable of handling the coldest weather we experience in Indiana and are more than able to cool homes in the summer.
In the past, the size of a yard was the limiting factor, as well as the cost of the system. Using geothermal energy for conditioning homes in the most common systems requires installation of an underground loop field that captures or replaces stored heat underground. While this installation drives the higher cost of these systems, a federal tax credit available through the end of 2016 allows qualified homeowners to defray 30 percent of the cost of the system and its installation, with no upward limit.
Engineers have developed vertical installations for homes whose yards are small or when landscaping or other backyard fixtures can't be removed. Instead of installing the loop field horizontally, the underground loops go deep into the ground. Temperatures underground vary little throughout the year, regardless of how deep the loop field goes.
Since all the components of a GHP are either underground or indoors, their durability exceeds that of conventional HVAC systems. The loop field may last 50 years or longer, and the indoor air handler up to 25 years with proper maintenance.
If you'd like to learn more about employing geothermal energy to heat and cool your home, contact Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning. We've provided superior HVAC services for the Fort Wayne area since 1963.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about Geothermal Energy and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.