One of the best things about a geothermal heating and cooling system is that it has so little in the way of moving parts. There’s just that much less that can get screwed up– that much less to need maintenance. And that alone goes a long way toward slashing the overall energy costs of Atlanta homeowners who’ve gone geothermal.
That said, the system does have some moving parts. Most of them are found in its most important component, too: the geothermal heat pump.
This is the system’s powerplant. Its purpose is to transfer heat. And it transfers heat either from the ground into your house or from your house into the ground, depending on seasonal temperatures. As such, it’s a furnace and an air conditioner rolled into one discreet package.
What, then, does a heat pump use to transfer heat? Water! Well, that or a solution incorporating antifreeze. This liquid courses through pipe loops installed underground and secured to the heat pump, which is positioned above ground. During heating season the liquid draws heat from the ground, the heat pump draws the warm liquid up into refrigerant coils, and from there the heat is conveyed throughout a home by means of either a forced air or a hydronic system. During cooling season it runs in reverse: the pump draws heat from your home and transfers it to the earth via those same buried loops. Oh, and as an added bonus, various geothermal systems also produce domestic hot water.
The basic differentiator between a geothermal heat pump and a common furnace is that a heat pump doesn’t ignite fuel to generate heat. No, indeed, it takes heat that already exists and simply moves it around. That naturally makes it a much more efficient heating and cooling system. Be aware of this, too: underground temperatures typically hold at around 50º F all year long. Result? A geothermal heating and cooling system uses significantly less energy to cool your home than typical air conditioners.
So … is a geothermal system the best way to go for your Atlanta home? See this area’s geothermal wizards, the cordial people at EcoMech.