It's True - You Can Save More Money with Geothermal Energy

Although the upfront investment is steep, using geothermal energy as a source for home heating and cooling will save you money the moment you turn the system on.

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) use stored thermal energy trapped underground to exchange heat, instead of creating it like fossil fuels. This heat exchange is at the heart of their efficiency for both heating and cooling.

How Much Do They Save?

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that GHPs use from 25 to 50 percent less electricity than an air-source heat pump does, which translates to immediate savings each time the system runs. These systems use an underground loop field that pulls heat out of the ground during the winter for home heating, and deposits it from your home in the summer when it’s cooling your living space.

The temperatures deep underground change little throughout the year, which makes geothermal energy so advantageous. There’s always ample heat for warming your home. In the summer, it’s easier for GHPs to displace the heat from your home. Since temperatures often hover in the high 80s to 90s in our region, the heat exchange process is much more efficient underground than exhausting it into hot outdoor air.

Even More Savings

• The U.S. Department of Energy has a tax credit program for homeowners who install a qualifying GHP, active until December 31, 2016. This program allows you to deduct nearly the entire cost of the system for a 30 percent tax credit. This credit helps offset the higher initial cost of installation involved with digging and placing the loop field.
• A GHP can be equipped with a desuperheater that will take the waste heat from your home and use it to heat your home’s water in the summer.
• GHPs have a long lifetime. Indoor components can last 25 years with proper maintenance, and the outdoor loop field typically carries a 50-year warranty.

For more information about taking advantage of geothermal energy and GHPs, contact Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We’ve been providing outstanding HVAC services for homeowners in Northwest Arkansas since 1968.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Springdale, Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about geothermal energy and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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