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The impact geothermal has on the environment
- Jake Rabe
Did you know that you are standing on one of the most environmentally friendly resources for home heating and cooling? It's true! The earth acts like a solar collector by storing heat in the ground. This heat can then be harnessed and used to heat and cool virtually any home or building.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called ground source heat pumps (geothermal heat pumps) the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available. Geothermal heat pumps offer significantly lower emissions because they move the earth's thermal energy from one place to another via the circulation of a refrigerant fluid — all done without burning a single fossil fuel.
Geothermal systems are 100 percent electric which means that they emit no carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases that can be harmful to your family and the environment. In fact, greenhouse gas emissions associated with the use of a geothermal heat pump are 55 to 60 percent lower than those from a standard air-source heat pump.
According to data supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Geothermal Technologies, nearly 40 percent of all U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are the result of using energy to heat, cool and provide hot water for buildings. This is about the same amount of CO2 contributed by the transportation sector. Over twenty years, the carbon footprint reduction would be equivalent to planting 120,000 acres of trees or converting over 58,000 cars to zero emission vehicles. In most areas of the United States, geothermal heat pumps had the lowest CO2 emissions and the lowest overall environmental impact of any space conditioning technology evaluated by the EPA.
Along with helping to reduce your carbon footprint and protecting the environment you can also rest assured that your home and family will be safe and comfortable. So as you can see, geothermal heat pumps are truly the green way to heat and cool your home!
This expert insight is by Jake Rabe, co-owner of Rabe Hardware and an experienced geothermal installer. Rabe Hardware is an Enertech dealer.
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