FAQs

These are a few of the Frequently Asked Questions we hear. Please contact us with your own questions by using the Contact Form.  We'll get back to you with an answer, and post additional questions here.

Why geothermal? Geothermal (or Geoexchange) heating and cooling systems are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA found that geothermal systems can reduce energy consumption--and corresponding emissions--by over 40% compared to air source heat pumps and by over 70% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment.

Is geothermal sustainable? The earths surface absorbs 47% of the sun's energy and stores it in the form of clean, renewable thermal energy. Geothermal heating and cooling systems use a fraction of that stored energy to heat the house in the winter. Then in the summer by cooling the house and storing the energy back in the ground they balanced the exchange over the yearly cycle. In fact a geothermal system repairs the effect that the building had on the natural solar absorption process.

How does geothermal work?  Most commonly a closed loop of plastic pipe is buried horizontally or vertically in the ground as a heat exchanger and a heat pump works with this to provides either heating or cooling of the home. In the cooling mode, an efficient geothermal system removes heat from the home and rejects it to the surrounding ground, at up to 30EER. In the heating mode, the same geothermal system will move about four units of energy from the ground for each unit of electricity used by the system and its accessories, an efficiency approaching 500% delivered into the home.

Why geothermal now?  The EPA found that, even on a source fuel basis--accounting for all losses in the fuel cycle including electricity generation at power plants-- geothermal systems are much more efficient than competing fuel technologies. They are an average of 48% more efficient than the best gas furnaces on a source fuel basis, and over 75% more efficient than oil furnaces. In fact, today's best geothermal systems outperform the best gas technology, gas heat pumps, by an average of 36% in heating mode and 43% in cooling mode!  Surveys by utilities indicate a higher level of consumer satisfaction for geothermal than for conventional systems: more than 95% of all geothermal heat and cooling customers would recommend geothermal to a family member or friend. See our own Case Studies Page for examples.

Does it save money?  Geothermal systems represent a savings to homeowners of 30% to 70% in the heating mode, and 20% to 50% in the cooling mode compared to conventional systems. Well-designed residential systems exhibit positive cash flows from the first month: the incremental cost of amortizing the geothermal system is less than the cost of the fuel or electricity not used. Closed loop commercial and institutional systems today can cost less than alternative designs and larger systems may save hundreds of dollars per ton relative to conventional systems.