While your exact savings will be determined by many variables, including your climate, thermostat setting and electric rate, most homeowners will see a reduction of 30 to 70 percent in their heating and cooling costs.
A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that geothermal systems have the lowest life-cycle cost of all heating and cooling systems currently on the market. Lower maintenance costs and longer life expectancy of geothermal units should certainly be taken into consideration when determining true savings.
To see how much a GeoComfort geothermal system can save you, click on the "Savings Tool" link above. Our proprietary savings calculator allows you to enter your home's information along with your existing utility and fossil fuel pricing to determine just how much an efficient GeoComfort geothermal system can save you versus alternative heating and cooling systems. You can also contact one of our qualified dealers for more information by clicking on the "Dealer Locator" link above.
Actually, the basic "modern" technology has been around for more than 50 years and improved upon ever since. To date, over one million installations in the United States alone have allowed a significant amount of homeowners and businesses to enjoy the benefits of geothermal systems. In fact, consumers rank their comfort and satisfaction with geothermal systems higher than any other type of system.
According to data supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Geothermal Technologies, nearly 40% of all U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are the result of using energy to heat, cool and provide hot water for buildings. This is about the same amount of CO2 contributed by the transportation sector. Versus a conventional fossil fuel system, a standard 3-ton residential geothermal system produces approximately one less pound of carbon dioxide (CO2) for every hour of use. Over twenty years, the carbon footprint reduction would be equivalent to planting 120,000 acres of trees or converting over 58,000 cars to zero emission vehicles.
By taking advantage of the "hot water assist" option, you can lower emissions even further by allocating heat removed from the home during the cooling season to provide hot water for household consumption. In addition to the environmental benefit, hot water costs can be reduced by as much as 30%.
Geothermal heating and cooling is different than geothermal energy. The word geothermal comes from the Greek words "geo" (meaning earth), and "thermos" (meaning heat). Earth heat describes both geothermal energy and geothermal heating, but each utilizes heat created by a different source. Geothermal energy is a natural energy source derived from the heat found in the earth's core. An example of this is the magma, or liquid rock that comes from the earth's center through geological openings and flows from volcanos. Hot springs and geysers are examples of warmth created with this kind of energy.
Geothermal heating and cooling does not use geothermal energy, but rather ground source energy. (For that reason, you may hear geothermal heat pumps called ground source heat pumps.) Geothermal heat pump technology relies on the sun to heat the ground at the earth's surface, rather than the earth's core to heat it from below. Geothermal energy use is not widespread due to the complications of geology. Because geothermal heat pumps use the sun's energy, which is much more accessible, their application is viable virtually everywhere.