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Digging Up Savings With Geothermal

Posted: 9/21/2011

Many families enjoy saving money on heating and cooling their homes.

(NAPSI)—Homeowners searching for ways to save money are digging deep-but not in their pockets, in their yards. More and more consumers are taking advantage of the free, renewable energy source that lies just beneath the earth’s surface to efficiently and economically heat and cool their homes.

A geothermal home comfort system taps into the abundant source of free solar energy stored in the earth and uses a series of pipes (an earth loop) buried in the ground to move that energy into the house. During the cooling cycle, a geothermal heat pump extracts heat from the air inside and moves it to the earth loop. In the heating mode, the heat pump uses the earth loop to extract heat from the ground and distribute it through the building, using a conventional duct system. The same heat energy can also be used for a radiant floor system or domestic hot water heating.

According to the experts at WaterFurnace, using this free energy source can save homeowners as much as 70 percent on their cooling bills. What’s more, the average system life span exceeds 24 years—compared to 15 years for a more traditional heating and cooling system.

During that extended life span, the geothermal system can provide a host of additional benefits to homeowners, including:

• Efficiency ratings up to five times higher than those of traditional heating and cooling systems

• Even distribution of heating and cooling for improved comfort

• Improved indoor air quality

• Quiet operation, with no noisy outdoor units to disturb the environment or neighbors

• Safe operation that requires no open flame or fuel storage tanks

• Little to no maintenance

• A reduced carbon footprint, since the system burns no fossil fuel.

Another plus: Homeowners who install a geothermal system before December 31, 2016 can take advantage of a federal residential renewable energy tax credit of 30 percent of the total investment for the system. Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this tax incentive is retroactive to January 1, 2009 and can be used in combination with utility rebates and state tax incentives, where available, to make geothermal systems more affordable than ever.

To find a geothermal system that fits your needs, you can visit www.waterfurnace.com or call (800) GEO-SAVE.

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