Geothermal FAQs

A geothermal heat pump uses technology that has been around for nearly 100 years to extract heat from the earth to warm your home. By installing a series of pipes on your property, energy can be gathered through coolant or water circulated in those pipes. As the liquid circulates, it gathers the innate energy stored in the earth each day.

The energy is transferred back to a heat pump which can then use its condenser and compressor to extract the heat and transfer it to air which will then be distributed inside your home. In the summer months, this process works in reverse, providing low cost cooling to your home from ground source energy.

If you’ve investigated geothermal heating at all, you may have noticed that there are two installation options – vertical and horizontal. The horizontal installation method is most common because it is the least expensive. A series of pipes are buried 4–6 feet below the surface of your property in shallow trenches. This system works best when the winter temperatures are mild and your property rarely freezes.

For those areas where freezing is common, a vertical installation is recommended. Instead of a shallow trench, vertical installation requires a single deep circuit of pipe, sometimes dozens of feet deep in the ground. This ensures the coolant in the pipes can reach as far down as possible and draw heat energy out of the earth for your heat pump to operate. Of course, such an installation also costs more due to the additional equipment needed to install it. You should talk to your contractor about the cost benefit of both options.

The exact cost depends on your current expenses. If you currently have a 30 year old furnace that is barely operating, then a geothermal system will be a tremendous upgrade over what you have. On average, geothermal systems are 50–70% more efficient than most conventional systems – both heating and cooling – so you can expect to cut your bills in half, but the actual savings will depend on the bills you already have.

Another factor to consider is how often you can use the geothermal system to replace your current heating and cooling sources. For example, if you have a horizontal installation, you will likely need a supplemental gas or electric furnace for colder winter days. With a vertical system, you can probably use the same geothermal unit year–round.

Geothermal heating and cooling is new to most people. As a result, it’s hard to know for sure whether the system is working as it should at all times. Fortunately most geothermal systems now include LED display panels to illustrate any problems. Pressure, temperature and error codes are displayed to help you understand if your system needs extra service. If it does need extra service, you can call a professional in to check the error codes and make the necessary repairs.

Other symptoms of problems are more obvious, however. If your energy bill suddenly increases or if you notice a decrease in the efficiency of the system, these are both common signs of a problem – always call your contractor if you notice the system not working as intended.