Go Geothermal: Replace Your Old Furnace With An Earth-Friendly Option

As winter weather fluctuates and temperatures rise and fall, geothermal energy supplies a steady, consistent source of heat. Only a few feet underground, the earth maintains a constant year-round temperature that can be harvested by a geothermal heat pump to warm your home. It’s the fastest-growing renewable energy source in the United States and provides clean, reliable heat in winter and efficient cooling all summer.

Installed in the ground on your property, loops of plastic tubing circulate heat-exchanging fluid that absorbs latent heat from the earth. Concentrated by a compressor and conveyed through an indoor coil, this heat is dispersed throughout the home. The technology offers numerous benefits to the many homeowners now making the switch.

• Lower heating costs – The most efficient gas-fired furnace available today offers about 95 percent efficiency. A geothermal heat pump has an efficiency rating of 400 percent in heating mode. This can reduce heating costs up to 70 percent.
• Silent operation – These units have no noisy outdoor coil and fan-like central air or conventional heat pumps. The system utilizes an indoor compressor and a circulating pump that produces about as much noise as a refrigerator. Because there’s no outdoor unit, the systems are also unaffected by wear and tear caused by the elements.
• Low environmental impact – Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy have embraced this technology as an environmentally sustainable method of heating and cooling. Because no combustion is involved, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and similar greenhouse gases are not emitted. The low electrical requirements also cuts demand on the power grid.
• Superior service life – A forced-air furnace generally lasts about 10 years with proper maintenance. The heat pump in a geothermal system usually has a warranty of at least 15 years and the buried earth tubing for several decades. Sobieski Services offers sustainable, environmentally-friendly alternatives like geothermal to cut heating costs and reduce environmental impact.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

Image Credit: shersteve