What Is Geothermal Heating?

Are you thinking green? Many green-thinking homeowners have made the switch to geothermal heating for their Omaha-area home. What is geothermal heating? What does it mean for homeowners? And how can homeowners make the switch? Let the G-Force heating and cooling team explain.

What Is Geothermal Heating?

In order to explain geothermal heating, we first need to explain geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is the thermal energy that is produced and stored in the Earth. In other words, it is the Earth’s internal heat. Instead of burning fossil fuels, which is done in ordinary heating and cooling systems, geothermal systems simply transfer heat (geothermal energy) to and from the earth. Check out the four basic geothermal energy sources for a description of how the systems work in your home.

What Does Geothermal Heating Mean For Homeowners?

The initial purchase and installation of a geothermal heat pump, or GHP, is often higher than most heating and cooling systems. However, homeowners can recover their investment through lower energy in two to ten years. In fact, according to the US Department of Energy, geothermal heat pumps don’t just bring lower energy bills. “GHPs equipped with a device called a ‘desuperheater’ can heat household water. In the summer cooling period, the heat that is taken from the house is used to heat the water for free. In the winter, water heating costs are reduced by about half.”

How Can Homeowners Make the Switch?

Many Omaha-area homeowners have easily made the switch to geothermal heating. It is recommended that homeowners choose a company, such as Getzschman, that has experience with geothermal heating. From here, the heating and cooling company will come out to your home and walk you through the various geothermal heat pump options. Once an option has been chosen, the next steps will vary, and before you know it your geothermal heating will have you saving lots of money in energy bills each month.

Expert Tips: Interested in geothermal? Take advantage of the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit. It expires at the end of 2016!

Have more questions about geothermal heating? Give the G-Force team a call today or request a service online here.