Geothermal Systems

A geothermal heat pump is vastly more efficient than conventional heating systems because it doesn't’ burn fuel to create warmth; it simply moves existing heat from one place to another. And because temperatures underground remain a relatively constant 50-60 degrees year ‘round, the system requires a lot less energy to cool your home than conventional AC systems or air-source heat pumps, which use outside air as a transfer medium.

A dual-source heat pump combines an air-source heat pump with a geothermal heat pump. These appliances combine the best of both systems. Dual-source heat pumps have higher efficiency ratings than air-source units, but are not as efficient as geothermal units. The main advantage of dual-source systems is that they cost much less to install than a single geothermal unit, and work almost as well.

Even though the installation price of a geothermal system can be several times that of an air-source system of the same heating and cooling capacity, the additional costs are returned to you in energy savings in five to 10 years. System life is estimated at 25 years for the inside components and 50-plus years for the ground loop. There are approximately 50,000 geothermal heat pumps installed in the United States each year.

There are four basic types of ground loop systems. Three of these -- horizontal, vertical, and pond/lake -- are closed-loop systems. The fourth type of system is the open-loop option. Which one of these is best depends on the climate, soil conditions, available land, and local installation costs at the site. All of these approaches can be used for residential and commercial building applications.

Contact Wright’s Heating and Air today at 229-241-1066 or use our convenient Contact Form to learn more about Geothermal Heat Pumps.