Should You Invest in Geothermal for Your Home?
When it comes time to invest in a new heating or cooling system for your home, many options exist. One that’s gaining a lot of traction lately is the geothermal heat pump. We will dive into what this is below and help you make a better-informed decision about whether or not investing in one is right for your home.
What Is a Geothermal Heat Pump?
Geothermal heat pumps, also known as ground-source heat pumps, can provide both heating and cooling for your home. These systems rely on the fact that the soil temperature remains relatively regular throughout the entire year. They use one or more indoor air handler units with refrigerant lines that run underground and connect to a specialized ground heat exchanger.
This varies significantly from what you would see with a traditional air-source heat pump or central air conditioning system. There’s no outdoor condenser unit visible for this type of system. During the winter months, a heat pump extracts heat from the soil and pumps it inside your home to warm it. During the summertime, a geothermal heat pump removes heat from inside your home and releases it into the soil. This makes it a tremendous all-year-round comfort system for most homeowners.
No Toxic Fume Production
One notable advantage of investing in a geothermal heat pump is that it doesn’t produce any toxic fumes when heating your home. Homeowners with a traditional furnace or boiler that burns fuel to create heat naturally produce exhaust byproducts. While these are typically vented to the outdoors, a problem with your system could allow these toxic fumes to back up inside. When you invest in a heat pump, you don’t have to worry about this problem.
Invasive Installation Process
One notable downfall of geothermal systems is that they can be pretty invasive to install, to begin with. Most properties can escape with horizontal loops installed about four to six feet below the soil’s surface. This requires long trenches to be dug into your yard to accommodate the installation of the coils. In some locations where you have a pond or lake at your home, installing these refrigerant lines underneath the water can be an alternative to installing them under your lawn. At properties with minimal space, vertical loops can be an option that goes down anywhere from 100 to 500 feet in depth and requires boreholes to be drilled.
Energy-Efficient Operation
One of the most notable advantages of a geothermal heat pump is its energy efficiency. This type of unit can use up to 70% less energy than traditional heating and cooling systems. That’s a lot of energy savings for the average homeowner. It is also a great eco-friendly choice that can help reduce your family’s carbon footprint for many decades to come.
Tax Incentives
Another notable benefit of investing in a geothermal heat pump for your home is that it can make you eligible to receive various tax incentives and rebates. The federal government offers a tax incentive under the Inflation Reduction Act 2022, allowing homeowners a tax credit of up to $3,200 per year. You can claim up to 30% of the total cost of installation and your new system up to that maximum amount. It’s also very common for state and local governments to offer tax incentives. Local utility companies and HVAC system manufacturers can also provide rebates for homeowners to invest in these extremely energy-efficient HVAC systems.
Long Lifespan
Geothermal heat pumps have one of the most extended lifespans for HVAC systems. All the above-ground components, like your indoor air handler unit, have a lifespan of around 20 years or more. The underground components of your geothermal heat pump will have a lifespan of 50 years or more. As always, annual maintenance can extend the lifespan of all HVAC units. This long lifespan can give you peace of mind that you won’t have to invest in another system for a long time.
Helpful Heat Pump Installation Service
Dogtown Heating, Air & Plumbing offers the Paxton, IL community helpful heat pump installation services. We can also help with all your heating and air conditioning replacement, repair, and maintenance needs. Call our office today to book your next service appointment with one of our technicians.
