| While the temperature of the air around you may | | | | dug straight down into the ground. Digging deep |
| range from below zero to above a hundred over | | | | wells, however, is more expensive than shallow, |
| the course of a year, the temperature of the | | | | horizontal trenches. |
| ground below remains fairly steady all year long. | | | | Geo-thermal systems do not have to be |
| Geo-thermal systems tap into that consistency to | | | | underground. They can also be under water. Large |
| move the ground's heat indoors in the winter, and | | | | bodies of water also maintain constant |
| distribute its coolness in the summer. | | | | temperatures. So if your home borders a river or |
| Of course, ground temperature which is usually | | | | a pond, you can lay the geo-exchange pipes |
| around 57 degrees Fahrenheit does not exactly | | | | under water along the bottom of the lake. |
| feel cozy when it is freezing outside. But | | | | How Much Energy Can You Save with |
| converting 57 degrees to 70 takes a lot less | | | | Geo-thermal? |
| energy than heating 32-degree air all the way up | | | | When you ask a geo-thermal professional to |
| to 70. | | | | provide statistics on how much you will save, you |
| So geo-exchange heat pumps do not have to | | | | will probably get a wishy-washy answer. This is |
| work as hard as conventional ones - and that is | | | | because calculating the savings of a geo-thermal |
| where the energy savings kick in. About 70 | | | | system has a huge array of variables. What kind |
| percent of the energy used by a geo-thermal | | | | of system are you comparing it to - oil, propane, |
| system comes from the renewable energy in the | | | | electric, or natural gas? What is the cost of that |
| ground, according to Geoexchange.org. | | | | fuel - at today's prices, last year's or some |
| How Does it Work? | | | | projected price in the future? Still, most experts |
| A geo-thermal system is made up of three main | | | | agree that your monthly heating bills can be 30 to |
| parts - a heat pump, a room-to-room air | | | | 70 percent lower with geo-thermal. |
| circulation system, and underground geo-exchange | | | | But before you celebrate the monthly savings on |
| pipes. | | | | your heating bill, you have to consider the initial |
| The heat pump lives in a home's utility room | | | | installation cost of a geo-thermal system. The |
| where the old oil- or gas-burning furnace once | | | | price depends on the size of your system, but it |
| reigned. The room-to-room air circulation system | | | | could cost up to $20,000 more than purchasing a |
| is no different than it would be with a regular heat | | | | regular propane or oil furnace. The latest U.S. |
| pump using air ducts or radiant floor heating. The | | | | stimulus bill gives homeowners a tax credit for |
| truly innovative part of the plan is the | | | | installing a geo-thermal unit, taking the initial edge |
| geo-exchange loop system. | | | | off. |
| To create a loop system, large trenches are dug | | | | If you plan on staying in your home for a while, |
| somewhere on the property about five feet | | | | you can start recouping your investment in about |
| down. The size and number of the trenches | | | | five to seven years. So if your renovation plans |
| depend on the square footage of the home. | | | | include a cozy feel and a green outlook, |
| Where there is not enough room for horizontal | | | | geothermal is a great way to stay comfortable |
| trenches, the pipes can be placed in vertical wells | | | | while doing your part for the environment. |