Geothermal Water Heaters: A Green and Efficient Energy Solution

For people concerned about the environment and the rising costs of heating and cooling their homes, geothermal solutions are a great option. This technology isn’t just for HVAC, though; the great benefits of geothermal solutions can also help heat your water. Geothermal water heaters are energy-efficient and highly effective. Let’s learn more about geothermal solutions for your home.

What is Geothermal Energy?

The earth maintains a remarkably consistent temperature just under the surface. It’s estimated that temperatures increase 1 degree for every 70 feet in depth, regardless of weather conditions on the surface. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that taps into the earth’s naturally occurring heat.

Geothermal technologies fall under one of three categories:

Direct use geothermal: Uses groundwater that is naturally heated, such as hot springs and geysers

Ground source heat pump: Takes advantage of the difference between the temperatures underground and the air temperature above 

Deep geothermal system: Uses steam from deep underground (generally used for industrial and commercial purposes)

For most residential applications, the ground source heat pump is a great choice for heating and cooling your home.

Heating

The heat pump moves water through buried underground pipes. The water is warmed as it moves through the pipes and is pumped back to the surface. The pump’s heat exchanger then transfers the heated water throughout the building for efficient, low-cost heating.

Cooling

The heat pump absorbs heat from inside the home and transfers it to the water in the pipes. It passes through the pipes where it is naturally cooled and then recirculated back into the building.

In addition to saving energy and money, the very nature of a geothermal system means that hot water is always available when you connect it to your water heater.

Geothermal Water Heaters

Geothermal energy can be used to heat water for use in the home, and while these heaters can be added as part of a larger geothermal system, they can also be installed as a stand-alone water heater. 

The geothermal heat pump uses a compressor to heat your home. These compressors produce extra heat which can then be used to preheat the water in your hot water tank. 

The component that carries the excess heat away from the system and deposits it into the water heater is a desuperheater. The desuperheater is designed not to interfere with the geothermal system’s ability to heat or cool your home. When in operation, the desuperheater creates hot water which will need a supplemental source to keep it hot when it’s stored. This will require using a conventional energy source such as gas or electricity, but the costs to maintain the temperature are far lower than the costs of both creating and storing the heated water.

The desuperheater option is found on most WaterFurnace systems.

Go Green with a WaterFurnace Geothermal System

A WaterFurnace can cut your energy usage by up to 80% and can save up to 70% on your energy bills! The systems aren’t expensive to install and they frequently outlast their conventional competition. In addition to saving money on your energy bills, there are federal tax credits of 26% on qualified units.

If you’re ready to go green and put a little extra money back in your wallet, Holtzople Heating and Air is ready to show you the benefits of our energy-efficient WaterFurnace Geothermal solutions. Contact us today, for a free consultation!