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When choosing a heating and air
conditioning system for your home, there are a variety of equipment
options available depending upon your home and location, but your
needs and expectations are the most important factors when deciding
what type of system will keep you and your family the most
comfortable in the coming years.
(Of course, if you're thinking about replacing your system or trying
to decide on a system for a new house, our
Comfort Advisors are available to
meet with you, discuss your needs and expectations and design a
system specifically for you and your home.)
Geothermal - or ground source -
heat pumps are electrically powered systems that tap the earth’s
relatively constant temperature (about 55° F year-round) to provide
heating and cooling for a home.
Instead of using outside air at
freezing temperatures to warm your home in the winter and outside
air in the 80’s and 90’s to cool your home in the summer like a
conventional heat pump, the geothermal uses ground-insulated water
held in and moved through an underground “loop” near your house. And
because it utilizes this temperate water instead of hot or cold air
to maintain your indoor comfort, it operates much more efficiently
than a standard heat pump: 50 to 70% more efficiently during heating
and 20 to 40% during the cooling mode, according to the
International Ground Source Heat Pump Association. Most of a
geothermal system is installed underground, but inside the house,
the heat pump units are about the same size as a traditional heating
and cooling unit. Geothermals don't have an outdoor unit, like
a traditional heat pump, so there are no noisy fans to disturb
outdoor activities or neighbors.
There are 3 basic types of closed loop
geothermal installation, depending on your climate, soil conditions,
available land and installation costs:
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Horizontal: usually
most cost-effective for residential new
construction, it requires a trench 4 feet deep. |
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Vertical: often
used on large commercial applications or where land
is at a minimum and/or the soil is shallow. |
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Water Body: this
may be the lowest cost option if the water source
meets minimum volume, depth, and quality criteria. |
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