Letting a geothermal system myth stand in your way of exploring your home heating and cooling options could stop you from learning more about these highly efficient systems. The most common myths include:
- They don’t use renewable energy. These systems use an underground loop field placed below the frost line for heating and cooling. The energy stored underground is a vast natural resource. Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) operate by harvesting the heat in the winter and depositing it in the summer. These systems can move five units of energy for each unit they use, making them some of the most energy-efficient HVAC systems available.
- GHPs take up a lot of space. When the technology was first introduced, the only way the loop field could be placed was horizontally, which does take more space. However, a vertical loop field can be installed in small yards, and if a dependable water source is available nearby, they can even use aquatic resources instead.
- They’re noisy. This could be the geothermal system myth that’s furthest from the facts. Such a system doesn’t use an outdoor condenser and the indoor heat pump is exceptionally quiet. They operate so quietly that many homeowners don’t even know when they’re running.
- System life is short. The underground loop field has a system life that in most cases exceeds 50 years and the heat pump inside can last 25 years or more, as long as it receives routine maintenance. Since there’s no above-ground outdoor exposure, there’s less environmental damage to its parts.
- Costs are excessively high. The installation of a GHP does exceed the cost of other kinds of HVAC equipment, but the energy savings more than compensate for it. A federal tax credit (available active through December 31, 2016) allows homeowners to deduct 30 percent of the cost of a qualifying system, and has no upward cap on the amount you claim.
Contact the pros at Aladdin Heating & Cooling to learn more or to help dispel any other geothermal system myths. We’ve proudly served homeowners in the Bloomfield Hills and Troy areas for more than 65 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about geothermal and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock