A number of people here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have recruited Gochnauer at Home to upgrade their homes to geothermal homes. Still hesitant about geothermal heating and cooling yourself? Knowing some of the science behind it – and the mechanics as well – might help.
We’ve discusseded elsewhere the rewards of geothermal heating and cooling. Suffice it to say here that almost no other manner of maintaining apleasant home environment year-round are as efficient, trustworthy, or economical, especially when you tally up the energy savings.
Here’s how geothermal works its magic.
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 many of us: the energy to heat and cool our homes that doesn’t involve oil.
You see, right under the earth’s crust – we’re talking no more than 33,000 feet under our feet – is a layer of magma. This is a molten and semi-molten mixture, predominantly of silicates, in which temperatures vary 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 Lancaster (and most places stateside, anyway) are warmer than the ambient air above ground in Winter and cooler than the ambient air above ground in Summer.
Time to Get Pumped!
What geothermal heating and cooling systems do, then, is transfer heat from the ground to your home or heat from your home to the ground, depending on the season. Either way, your home’s interior stays at the best possible temperature to keep you and your family comfy year-round.
The apparatus that handles the transfer is a geothermal heat pump. It continuously circulates water or some blend (commonly antifreeze) between your home and loops of pipe (commonly fashioned 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 assimilates heat from the earth and is returned to your home warm. In Summer, the process is reversed: warm liquid is brought into the loops, where it’s cooled by 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 aren’t like central heating systems, which generate heat themselves. Instead, geothermal systems heat and cool your home by making use of the energy already abundantly available beneath the earth’s surface. That’s why geothermal systems not only run quieter but also are considerably more dependable, need less maintenance, have far longer lifespans, and are more environmentally friendly than old-school HVACs. That’s also why, in the long run, you’ll save lots more more money by going geothermal.
Curious now? Get together with Gochnauer at Home, your Lancaster geothermal heating and cooling specialist, today.