What is Geothermal?
The word geothermal comes from the Greek word geo (earth) and therme (heat). So, geothermal energy is heat from within the earth. The earth absorbs over 50% of solar energy and remains a constant temperature between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Due to these conditions the use of a Geothermal heat pump to allow the transfer of energy from your home to the ground depending on a heating or cooling load is possible and efficient.
How is it installed?
Much like any standard heating and air conditioning system a Geothermal heat pump has many of the same components and characteristics without the high utility bills, cold drafty air and loud obnoxious outdoor equipment. Standard duct work is run from your air handling unit placed in either the attic or basement of your residence. Vertical or horizontal wells are then drilled outside of the home and polyethylene piping is inserted into the either bore holes or trenches. All P.E. piping joints get fused together using hot irons and routed to the inside of the home near the actual Geothermal unit. Piping then enters what is called a pumping station which pushes and pulls the water through the earth loop as well as the refrigerant loop located in the equipment. The "closed loop" is then purged with a freeze protected water. A thermostat is connected and heat or cooling is produced upon demand.
How does it work?
Upon a request for heating or cooling a standard thermostat in a central location of the house makes a comfort request. From here the actual Geothermal unit checks its safeties then sends a signal to the pumping station and water begins to circulate through the closed or open loop water piping. If the call from the thermostat was for heating the unit would push its loop of water to the outside wells where the water will exchange energy from the ground. Now that this water has had a chance to gather heat from the earth it is pumped back to the Geothermal equipment where it is cycled through a coaxial coil surrounded by refrigerant piping. The refrigerants job is to now extract that same heat the water received from the ground and pump it via a compressor to the indoor coil. Then being released into the air with a fan providing comfortable constant temperatures to the home.
Residential Loops
(Click images to enlarge)
Why choose Geothermal?
Many people may wonder why to choose Geothermal as a home heating and cooling source but the answers are simple. It saves you money, it is a green provider of energy, and there is a 30% tax credit with no cap for the cost of installation. For every kilowatt of electric you place into a geothermal system you get 3-5 kilowatts FREE from the ground. There is a possible reduction in cooling cost of up to 60%. Studies conducted by the EPA have found that geothermal heat pumps can help reduce consumption of electric and harmful emissions compared to traditional HVAC systems up to 40% for every geothermal system installed it is equivalent to taking two cars off the road and planting one acre of trees.
Service Areas in Maryland
Baltimore City and Baltimore County
Carroll County - All areas including: Eldersburg, Sykesville, Westminster, Union Bridge, Taneytown, Finksburg, Hampstead, Manchester
Howard County - All areas including: Clarksville, Columbia, Cooksville, Dorsey, Elkridge, Ellicott City, Fulton, Glenelg, Glenwood, Granite, Hanover, Highland, Jessup, Lisbon, Marriottsville, North Laurel, Savage-Guilford, West Friendship, Woodbine, Woodstock
Frederick County - All areas including: Frederick, New Market
Montgomery County - All areas including: Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Bethesda, Chevy Chase
Southern PA - All areas including: Gettysburg, Hanover
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