THE SKILLINGS BLOG

There is a common misconception that using geothermal energy to heat your home is only applicable in places where volcanic lava flows beneath the earth's surface. Ground water heat pumps can be used to tap the piles of earth's energy to heat water anywhere. With the cold winters here in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, residential geothermal is an obvious heat source.

When buying a heating system for your home, you want a product that’s high-quality, efficient and if it runs on clean energy, all the better. But when it comes down to it, one of the biggest factors in choosing a home heating system is cost.

People who choose a geothermal heating system are often doing it for more than just the cost savings. These efficient systems will eliminate your fuel costs and cut your electricity bill, but it’s the clean, green energy geothermal heating systems provide that adds to the appeal.

A home’s heating system is one of the first things potential homebuyers want to know about when viewing a property. In New England, an old oil furnace can cost vastly more to maintain than a newer efficient system. Geothermal is one of the most efficient home heating options available today. Real estate agents should know how these systems work. Although they cost more to install than standard fossil fuel systems, the cost to operate and maintain geothermal systems is very low.

Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) are an environmentally friendly way to heat and cool your home that provides long-term cost savings. They rely upon energy or geothermal exchange between the air in a building and the temperature underground. Ground temperatures are always a constant 55° F. Geothermal works because the ground beneath our feet is warmer than the outside air in the winter and cooler in the summer. By inserting a series of small pipes that contain a water glycol mixture into the ground, heat can be transferred to the mixture and into your home in the winter. In summer when the temperature rises above the ground temperature, the process works in reverse.