Geothermal systems provide energy independence for more homeowners

Prince William News

Gainesville Times

"We have no access to natural gas in our neighborhood, so we had oil heat," says Nadig. "The price of oil has gotten extremely high and we found ourselves keeping the thermostat fairly low."

Nadig started to investigate geothermal (or ground-source) heat pump systems to help them stay warm in the winter - without paying a lot of money on their oil bill.

Quickly realizing the energy saving benefits, as well as the environmentally friendly aspects, he opted to install a system from ClimateMaster (www.climatemaster.com/residential).

"The geothermal saves us money and we can keep the house at a nearly constant temperature," says Nadig, whose system went live about a year ago.

Nadig is just one of the many Americans who are replacing conventional oil, natural gas and electricity-based heating and cooling with geothermal heat pump systems, and the demand for these systems is only expected to grow, on a global scale, over the next decade.

"There are more than 1 million of these units in U.S. homes today, which means an increasing number of homeowners are recognizing the benefits of this system in controlling their energy bills for life, and essentially declaring their energy independence," says Raj Hiremath, marketing director at ClimateMaster.

Geothermal, or "geoexchange," systems work on the simple principle of regulating indoor heating or cooling by using the consistently moderate temperatures just below the earth's surface. While outside air temperatures may vary wildly depending on where you live, the ground temperature just a few feet down stays relatively stable.

Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of this by moving heat through water in underground pipes to make it either warmer (in the winter) or cooler (in the summer) inside the home. The result is comfortable year-round indoor temperatures.

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Geothermal systems provide energy independence for more homeowners