Geothermal heat-pump systems are a cost effective and efficient way to heat or cool your home. Ground temperatures stay at a relatively constant 55 degrees all year long, even through harsh Long Island winters or hot summers. This feat of nature can be harnessed for heating and cooling, by inserting pipes into the ground, allowing the heat to be pumped from the ground and into your home.
A geothermal system uses two main components: The first component is a heat pump that’s located inside your home, and it’s used to circulate the heat. The second component is the ground loop, or underground pipes, that connect to the heat pump and have access to the geothermal heat.
To produce heat, the ground loop circulates water that derives its heat from the ground, and moves it through the heat pump. The pump takes the heat from the water and pushes it into the home as warm air. The water is then recirculated back into the ground loop to collect more heat. This process is continually repeated to heat of the home.
To act as a cooling system, the heat pump performs in reverse. The hot air in the home is drawn into the pump and dispersed to the underground pipe system, where the heat is then exhausted into the earth. This leaves cool air to be distributed throughout your home.
Geothermal units have few moving parts, which makes them a durable system. And the few moving parts that do exist are located, and protected, inside the home. Therefore, geothermal heat-pump systems are a long-lasting and efficient system, which require little maintenance and repair.
You can schedule a geothermal heat-pump system consultation by visiting T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating, an HVAC company with a reputation for excellent service on Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn since 1934. Our experts at happy to answer your questions.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Geothermal system image via Shutterstock.