Quite a few residents here in The Hudson Valley, New York, have recruited Verdae Geothermal to upgrade their homes to geothermal homes. Still leery of geothermal heating and cooling yourself? Understanding something of the science behind it – and the mechanics as well – might help.
We’ve noted elsewhere the perks of geothermal heating and cooling. It’s quite sufficient to say here that few other means of maintaining an agreeable home environment year-round are as efficient, trustworthy, or ultimately budget-friendly, especially when you consider the energy savings.
Here’s how geothermal makes that possible.
Thar’s Gold Heat in Them Thar Hills!
We tap the earth for precious metals. We tap the earth for oil. Now, to a heretofore unparalleled degree, we’re tapping the earth for something no doubt just as valuable to the majority of us: the energy to heat and cool our homes that doesn’t call for oil.
You see, just under the earth’s crust – no more than 33,000 feet under our feet – is a layer of magma. This is a molten and semi-molten mixture, principally of silicates, in which temperatures run from 1300 degrees Fahrenheit to 2400 degrees Fahrenheit and hotter the deeper you go (not that you’d want to go there!). What this does is keep the ground immediately under the earth’s surface at a year-round temperature of between 45 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Meaning? Underground temperatures in The Hudson Valley (and most places stateside, as it were) are warmer than the ambient air above ground in Winter and cooler than the ambient air above ground in Summer.
Time to Get Pumped!
The task, then, of a geothermal heating and cooling system is to|Underground temperatures being what they are, then, it’s the purpose of a geothermal heating and cooling system to transfer heat from the ground to your home or heat from your home to the ground, as the season dictates. Either way, your home’s interior is maintained at an optimal temperature to keep you and your family comfortable throughout the year.
The appiance that executes the transfer is a geothermal heat pump. It continuously circulates water or some solution (commonly antifreeze) between your home and loops of piping (commonly made of polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, PVC, or CPVC) buried in the ground. In Winter, the liquid is cold when it enters the ground. As it travels through the loops, it absorbs heat from the earth and is returned to your home warm. In Summer, the process is reversed: warm liquid goes into the loops, where it takes in the cooler ground temperatures before it’s returned to your home. Need details? You’ll find more thorough information on ground loops here.
The salient point is that geothermal heating and cooling systems don’t produce energy. They don’t work like central heating systems, which generate heat themselves. Instead, geothermal systems heat and cool your home by using the energy already richly available beneath the earth’s surface. That’s why geothermal systems don’t only run quieter but also prove a lot more reliable, need less maintenance, have far longer lifespans, and are more environmentally friendly than standard HVACs. That’s also why, in the long run, you’ll save a lot more more money by going geothermal.
Curious now? Get hold of Verdae Geothermal, your The Hudson Valley geothermal heating and cooling specialist, today.