Features & Benefits
True Value
Sustainability: Be in control of your energy costs while providing a positive contribution to the environment.
Resale Value: Energy costs are more important to home buyers than ever before—a geothermal system provides the best value available.
Long Life: The self-contained geothermal unit will last much longer than traditional systems that are exposed to the extreme outside weather conditions. The loop has a life in excess of 50 years.
Reliability / Cost of Ownership: With a simple indoor unit containing few moving parts, this heating and cooling system can operate efficiently for years with little maintenance. Components have been chosen for their long-term dependability.
Environmentally Friendly: Geothermal technology is the clean heating and cooling alternative, rated best by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Safe and Clean: No flame, no flue, no odors, or fumes. You can also benefit from improved air quality completely free of dangerous carbon monoxide gasses.
Noise-Free Operation: Unlike traditional air conditioners or heat pumps, the geothermal system has no noisy outdoor fans to disturb you or your neighbors.
Radiant System “Option” Benefits
Even: Radiant floors distribute heat evenly to all corners of any given room with only a slight difference between floor and ceiling temperatures. This means that those vaulted ceilings won’t collect excessive heat in the upper areas of your home, nor will you have the traditional cold spots near windows or doors.
Silent: No fans or blowers to interrupt the tranquil silence of your home.
Comfort: Surface temperatures close to 85 degrees match the temperature of human skin creating the ultimate in comfort. Kick off those slippers and enjoy walking with bare feet on warm tile or wood floors.
Safe: No hot surfaces—eliminating the risk of injury to children, pets, and adults.
Healthy: Say “NO” to dust mites and other allergens that thrive in homes heated with “Scorched Air” heating systems. Radiant heat means no air movement or ductwork to pollute your home and family.
Convenient: No interference with furniture placement. No periodic cleaning of distribution systems or filter replacements is necessary.
The biggest benefit of GHPs is that they use 25%–50% less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems. This translates into a GHP using 1 unit of electricity to move 3 units of heat from the earth. According to the EPA, geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption—and corresponding emissions—up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps and up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment. GHPs also improve humidity control by maintaining about 50% relative indoor humidity, making GHPs very effective in humid areas.
Geothermal heat pump systems allow for design flexibility and can be installed in both new and retrofit situations. Because the hardware requires less space than that needed by conventional HVAC systems, the equipment rooms can be greatly scaled down in size, freeing space for productive use. GHP systems also provide excellent “zone” space conditioning, allowing different parts of your home to be heated or cooled to different temperatures.
Because GHP systems have relatively few moving parts, and because those parts are sheltered inside a building, they are durable and highly reliable. The underground piping often carries warranties of 25–50 years, and the heat pumps often last 20 years or more. Since they usually have no outdoor compressors, GHPs are not susceptible to vandalism. On the other hand, the components in the living space are easily accessible, which increases the convenience factor and helps ensure that the upkeep is done on a timely basis.
(Source: US Department of Energy)