From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: Five Benefits to Geothermal Heating for Your Home
One option you should consider for heating your home is geothermal power. Geothermal energy comes from deep within the earth and is produced by things like molten magma. There are many great benefits to tapping this amazing source of energy to heat your home. (Editor’s Note: This sense of the word “geothermal” is different from they type of geothermal that is used to heat a home. As noted here, the engineering and scientific communities prefer the terms “geoexchange” or “ground source heat pumps” to avoid confusion with traditional geothermal power, which uses a high temperature heat source to generate electricity.)
1. Impact on the Environment
Geothermal power is one of the cleanest forms of energy available to man. In fact, the EPA lists geothermal energy as the most eco-friendly option available for heating homes. Geothermal heating releases none of the kinds of pollution produced by other kinds of fuels like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. It also requires very little electricity. This helps the environment by lessening the need for power plants.
2. Efficiency
Geothermal energy is also one of the most efficient fuels in existence. Other kinds of fuel need to be burned to create heat. The heat is created from the destruction of the fuel. This is not a completely efficient process. However, geothermal heating simply transfers heat that already exists deep within the Earth. This system is completely efficient by any metric used unlike other fuels like gas or coal.
3. Cost
Due to its great efficiency, geothermal heating requires very little overhead expense. Once it has been installed in a home from a company like East Side Ventilation Ltd., it will cost very little to continue operating the system to heat your home. Your monthly heating expenses could drop by a whopping 70 percent.
4. Safety
Geothermal heating uses something known as a heat pump that draws the heat out of the ground. It does not require combustion like other forms of heating. There no risk of an explosion unlike with other fuel sources. Due to the fact that geothermal energy does not create pollution, it is also far safer in regards to the air quality that will exist within the home.
5. Lack of Noise
Geothermal heating can also improve the quality of life of a family in another way as well. It simply produces very little noise to operate. There is no unit located outside the home, for example, that creates a lot of noise while operating. The sound that is produced by the heating system operating is comparable to that of a refrigerator.
Overall, there are many great benefits to using geothermal heating. This includes cost, safety and its lack of impact on the environment. It may be an investment well worth making for many families.
