Over 70% of the energy consumed by a typical house is used to meet heating and cooling needs. In the U.S., heating and cooling buildings accounts for 43% of the carbon emissions, 39% of the energy consumption, and 53% of the natural gas usage. Why do we only consider cars and trucks when talking about conserving energy, oil, etc?!
Currently less than 1% of Illinois’ energy comes from renewable sources (readily replenished). There is a mandate in our state that by 2025, 25% of our energy MUST come from renewable sources. Got any ideas?
47% of solar energy is absorbed by the earth’s surface and is stored below the frost line. In Illinois, the ground temperature stays 52-57ºF year-round. Wind and solar energy are good sources of renewable energy, BUT they don’t do anything to decrease our dependence on energy. They just create more, so the power companies are still happy. Geothermal systems are more efficient, reducing energy requirements and your monthly power bill.
Ground Source Heat Exchange systems MOVE energy, they don’t create it. A heat pump (replaces the furnace) runs water through a sealed or open loops in underground piping where it is naturally heated or cooled by the ground. The heat pump elevates low-grade heat to high-grade heat by compression and reverses for cooling.
GSHE systems are 50-70% more efficient for heating and 20-40% more efficient for cooling than traditional forced air systems. The current systems in place are already saving the U.S. 14 million barrels of crude oil per year. Illinois had around 3,000 homes and buildings using geothermal systems in 2006.
On average, a 2000 sq. ft. home requires $2,100 of fossil fuel to heat and cool it each year. The same home on a geothermal system requires $700 of fossil fuel! Currently, only 1 in 70 new homes utilizes this technology. Why? Cost. It costs approximately $10K more to install one of these systems as opposed to traditional. This is because well drillers have to drill several (3-8) bore holes 150-175’ deep to run the pipes. However, if you are on a 30-year mortgage, it only adds $59/month or $708/year. And remember you are saving $1,400 on heating/cooling costs!!! That’s at today’s prices. Who knows how far this “energy crisis” will go and how much we will be paying a few years down the road?!
Other benefits: quiet operation, low maintenance, no machinery at ground surface or outside the home (it’s virtually invisible once installed), free hot water (by-product of heat pump), environmentally friendly.
To me, it’s a no-brainer. If you’re building a new home, put one of these in. If you are replacing your current system, the return on investment is 8-10 years. But it’s worth it. You are making a difference.
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