Getting Started On The Switch To Geothermal

Many people, when they hear the word geothermal, think of Yellowstone National Park with its Old Faithful geyser and bubbling mud pots. And that’s understandable because geothermal energy is a natural heat source where the heat comes from deep within the earth’s core. Geothermal heating and cooling is a little different, though, because it does not use geothermal energy but something called ground-source energy.

Geothermal heating and cooling technology relies on the sun to heat the earth’s surface from above, instead of relying on heat from below the earth’s crust. Because of this difference, geothermal heat pumps are also called ground-source heat pumps. Tapping into geothermal energy (such as Yellowstone’s geysers) is complicated and limited because of geology. However, because geothermal heating and cooling systems utilize the sun’s energy, these applications are practical almost anywhere.

Just below the frost line (usually around six feet deep) the ground stays about 50 degrees, regardless of the season, throughout most of the country. In the Delmarva Peninsula area, the average temperature at the frost line is 55 degrees. This temperature consistency is the basic premise for geothermal heating and cooling.

During cold months, the geothermal heating and cooling system uses liquid circulating through buried piping to extract heat from the ground. This heat is distributed through a conventional home heating duct system as warm air. This system can also be used with a radiant floor system or domestic hot water heating.

During warm months, the process is reversed and produces cool air throughout the home. This is accomplished by extracting the hot air in your home and moving it back into the buried piping. Or this excess hot air can be used to heat the water in your home’s hot water tank.

Geothermal heating and cooling systems are extremely safe and are very environmentally friendly. They are a little more expensive to install, initially, but the savings will mount up quickly in your lowered utility bills. To learn more, please contact Sobieski Services Inc. Our experts will be happy to answer all of your geothermal heating and cooling questions.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

Sobieski serves Wilmington, Delaware and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website.