Using a Geothermal Heat Pump to Handle the HVAC Needs of Your Alton Home

A geothermal heat pump is an energy-efficient, reliable system for heating and cooling your home. This system uses the earth’s natural temperatures for heating and cooling the house. When it’s time to replace your current system, geothermal should be on your list for consideration.

How Does a Geothermal Heat Pump Work?

Geothermal heat pumps rely on the fact that, once you get about six to eight feet below ground, the earth retains a steady, moderate temperature year-round which, importantly, is cooler than the outside air in summer and warmer than the outside air in winter.

The system components include an indoor heat pump, connected to a regular forced-air duct system and an outside network of pipes, usually either excavated as a vertical or horizontal loop system.  In most cases, these pipes circulate a water/anti-freeze mixture that transfers heat between the earth outside and the heat pump inside. In the summer, the liquid formula will deposit heat from inside the house into the ground (or water, in some systems) outside, providing comfortable interior cooling. In the winter, the heat-transfer liquid brings heat into the home from underground for energy-efficiient heating. During the cooling season, geothermal heat pumps also use heat extracted from the ground to heat water.

What Are the Benefits of Geothermal Heat Pumps?

• Seventy percent of the energy used is renewable.
• This heat pump can lower energy bills by up to 40 percent compared to a regular air-source heat pump.
• These systems need less maintenance over time and last much longer than conventional A/Cs and heat pumps. This is a result of the actual heat pump being inside the home and outdoor components being underground, out of the elements.
• They are quieter to operate than normal heat pumps.
• The federal government offers a 30 percent tax credit for the purchase and installation of qualified geothermal systems.

If you want to explore geothermal heat pumps more, please contact us at Ernst Heating & Cooling. We have served our Metro-East neighbors in Alton, Bethalto, Edwardsville, Collinsville and Staunton since 1954. Give us a call today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Alton, Glen Carbon, Highland, Greenville, and Troy, Illinois and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).