Why Does Geothermal Make Sense To Install at Your Home? A geothermal heat pump will save you a lot of money and

Seth LeitmanBy Seth LeitmanBriarcliff Manor, New York Thu Mar 05 06:30:00 EST 2009 geo thermal pipesiStockREAD MORE ABOUT:Clean Energy Green Home Green Home Renovation Home Energy Use Renewable EnergyI always liked geothermal energy. When I speak with companies that install geothermal energy systems, they can't tell me enough how they are convinced that those systems are the next HVAC for the home. They now know that it can become a real backup source of energy. Geothermal energy can be a powerful source of energy, more than wind and solar power combined.What is Geothermal Energy?Basically, you drill down in "geyser-loaded locales" in order to power electrical generators with heat and steam. It's an entirely renewable source of energy, as the power comes from heat and steam that simmer up from the earth naturally. Now, Reykjavik and all of Iceland gets energy through geothermal. Geo-exchange systems use a loop of underground water piping to transfer heat from the earth below where its cooler to your home (in the summer, it's cooler underground, so that this same process in reverse can serve to cool your home). To simplify, it's like an air conditioning system, but it is much more efficient.You Reduce Your Energy Consumption With GeothermalGeothermal systems use 30-60 percent less energy, they run quieter, and require less maintenance than the more popular Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.The Cost of a Geothermal SystemWhile a 3-ton geo system at $7,500 compares with $4,000 for a traditional HVAC system (according to the Dept. of Energy—not including labor costs for installation). Depending upon where you live in the country, that geothermal system could save you around $700/yr. That could payback in less than six years. That number does not include lower maintenance costs and the government rebates and incentives.Geothermal is the Right ThingEven though the price of oil goes up or down, the price of electricity is always going up (both in dollars and in environmental and health impacts). Over 1 million homes in the U.S. use geo-thermal. In total, these homes save 9 billion pounds of CO2 per year!! That is equal to taking 600,000 cars and making them electric or adding 1 million trees. Again, we know the subject of electricity and its environmental impact is massive. We won't get into that today. However, by going (geothermal or geo-exchange), you are using solid ideas to green your energy.