One of the most remarkable things about a geothermal heating and cooling system is that it has so few moving parts. There’s just that much less that can go wrong– that much less needing maintenance. And that alone goes a long way toward lowering the overall energy costs of Scranton homeowners who’ve gone geothermal.
Of course, the system does have some moving parts. the majority of them are found in its most conspicuous 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 the weather30. As such, it’s a furnace and an air conditioner integrated into one compact package.
What, then, does a heat pump use to transfer heat? Water! Well, that or a solution containing antifreeze. This liquid courses through loops of underground pipes to which the heat pump is linked above ground. During heating season the liquid draws heat from the ground, the heat pump draws the warm liquid up into refrigerant coils, and the heat is then is dispensed throughout a home by way of either a forced air or a hydronic system. During cooling season the process is reversed: the pump draws heat from your home and transfers it to the ground by way of those same buried loops. Oh, and somewhere in all this, lots of geothermal systems also supply domestic hot water.
The crucial distinction between a geothermal heat pump and a more familiar furnace is that a heat pump doesn’t burn fuel to generate heat. Rather, it takes heat that’s already present and merely moves it around. That naturally makes it a much more efficient heating and cooling system. Be aware of this, too: underground temperatures generally hold at around 50º F year round. Result? A geothermal heating and cooling system uses substantially less energy to cool your home than typical air conditioners.
So … is a geothermal system the answer for your Scranton home? Look to this region’s geothermal pros, the friendly gang at Jim Lamberti Contracting Services, LLC.