Last Updated on November 4, 2021 by Kravelv
Geothermal Home Improvement: One Million Homes & Growing
There’s no getting around our need for reliable temperature regulation. The thermostat is often the first adjustment we make leaving and returning to our homes during the hot and cold months. We need it for ourselves and the pets we care for. All that space heating takes a lot of energy. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that 42 percent of US home energy spending can be linked to space heating needs. Commercial properties are not far behind at 36 percent (Footnote 1).
As homes continue to rely upon burning fossil fuels — natural gas, propane, and the all familiar oil and coal — there’s never been a better time to consider a better way to get the job done. Over one million US properties have made a change to a greener, more efficient and cheaper home improvement: geothermal energy.
“The evidence of human-caused climate change is overwhelming and continues to strengthen, that the impacts of climate change are intensifying across the country, and that climate-related threats to Americans’ physical, social, and economic well-being are rising.”- 4th National Climate Assessment, 2018
A Home Improvement That Targets Climate Change
The announcement of a US Departure from the 2015 Paris Agreement and the 2018 National Climate Assessment (NCA) have clean energy enthusiasts strategizing energy options to impact climate change.
“Climate change is expected to cause growing losses to American infrastructure and property and impede the rate of economic growth over this century.” (footnote 2).
When the Federal government released the 2018 National Climate Assessment (NCA), it reiterated what is now considered widespread scientific consensus: our planet’s temperature continues to rise, the environment is taking a big hit, and our wallets will be left to pay more in the end. There has been a positive response as well — many private companies and US citizens have begun taking specific actions to combat a climate crisis. Among those actions: changing the way we think about and use energy.
Getting Started with a Geothermal Energy Source Home Improvement
Heating and cooling a home with geothermal energy works by taking heat and energy directly from the ground. The Earth’s crust provides a consistent temperature below the surface to pull from, and then redirects the energy to a property to be used for both heating and cooling the air and water. This is accomplished using a system of geothermal heat pumps are connected to pipes buried underground, commonly called geothermal loops and exchanges.
Homes that use geothermal energy can collect 75 percent of needed energy from the ground below them with the added bonus of using a renewable energy source that is free and does not pollute.
Save Money, Protect the Environment: Two Big Wins for Geothermal Heating
The EPA points out that geothermal heating and cooling can be counted on as among the most environmentally friendly, energy efficient, and cost-effective systems available for space heating needs. Here’s how that translates into reality when making a home improvement to geothermal:
- Geothermal heating equals between 30 to 70 percent savings for homeowners compared to conventional space heating units
- When 100,000 households use a geothermal heat pump system, 800 million kilowatt hours of electricity consumption get reduced annually
- Want to plant 750 trees? That’s what the EPA equates as the environmental impact when upgrading a standard HVAC system to geothermal
- When 100,000 homes update to geothermal heat pump use, foreign oil imported by the US could be reduced by 2.15 million barrels annually.
- US schools that utilize geothermal energy can save a combined $25 million dollars annually
The additional considerations for a home improvement to geothermal heating and cooling all point to a successful move to help our planet and our wallets.
It’s Easier Than You Think: Make a Geothermal Heating & Cooling Update
It’s pretty astounding to consider that nearly all the energy needed to heat and cool a home or business exists directly beneath our feet. Changing a primary home energy source is becoming a more common occurrence each day across the planet.
Are you ready to make a lasting change for your home and for your planet? A licensed geothermal heating and cooling company can address your questions, lay out a plan to save you money, and most important of all, can add your home to the one million that have already made the choice to preserve our vulnerable Earth.
