Geothermal systems, although much more efficient, operate between 100 and 120°F and are not compatible with distribution systems originally designed for much higher temperatures. . No matter what the thermometer on the surface says, temperatures less than 10 feet underground stay at an average of 55 degrees Fahrenheit year round. This is the basis of an unalterable source of energy that can heat your home.
Geothermal heating uses the Earth's latent thermal energy to provide heat without natural gas combustion or electric heating. Don't worry about having to maintain a temperature of 55°F in your home when you install geothermal heating. The system converts geothermal heat so that your home heats reliably even in the coldest climates. Now, the reason the outside temperature doesn't matter is because the loops are deep enough underground that they don't come into contact with frost.
That is, it doesn't matter how cold the ground is during the winter. Anything more than five feet deep on Earth maintains a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. That's enough heat for a geothermal heat pump to use effortlessly. In summer, if you use it for cooling, it's still cold enough underground to efficiently cool your home.
If you want to keep your home at 80°F all winter long, it is possible to design a ground-source heat pump system that meets your requirements. Just be sure to tell the designer of your heating system what the temperature of your design is. Instead of a design temperature of 72°F, you want a design temperature of 80°F (or whatever). This may require design changes, such as a larger heat pump or a longer ground circuit.
But it is certainly possible to design such a system. Heating your home with a geothermal system in winter may seem far-fetched to you. Cold weather freezes the ground, raising the question of how much heat can actually be transferred from the ground to your home. The answer is quite a lot.
Low outdoor temperatures and frozen ground have no impact on a geothermal system. Just a few meters below the surface, the Earth maintains an almost constant temperature of approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is more than enough for a geothermal heat pump to transfer heat from the subsurface and keep your home comfortable. The geothermal heat pump transfers heat to the outside floor.
The temperature underground, which is maintained at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit on average, cools the coolant and returns cold air indoors. This method provides energy-efficient comfort because you rely less on electricity to cool your home. Fortunately, homeowners with a geothermal heat pump installed are more than well equipped to withstand a harsh winter. Depending on the location and size of your home, geothermal operating costs could be 20 to 70% lower than those of conventional heating and cooling technology.
In addition to setting a single set point for your geothermal unit, the installer must also ensure that the thermostat is programmed to remain in a heating stage until it reaches the desired temperature in the home. However, a heat pump must work harder to extract enough heat from the outside when the temperature is extremely cold. The money you'll save on energy bills by installing a geothermal heat pump is well worth the cost of the installation. If you are planning a new construction or a home remodel, a consultation with us about geothermal heating could reduce utility bills for years to come.
When temperatures drop to around 30 degrees, air-source heat pumps begin to lose efficiency and heating capacity. The heat pump of a geothermal system never has to deal with temperatures close to the range when the results begin to decline. Despite their misleading name, geothermal heat pumps guarantee that you'll stay cool in the hot summer months and save you money on energy costs. In addition to all the other details, this geothermal heat pump comes equipped with a dehumidifier, which will make a difference in humid Virginia summers.
The slight variations in interior temperature experienced when an oven waits for the thermostat to activate the heat are absent in geothermal energy. .
