Geothermal Heat Pump Systems

I see a lot of traditional air-source heat pumps when showing homes in the Dayton OH area and sometimes run across a geothermal heat pump (GHP) that uses the stable temperature underground to heat and cool. The GHP runs refrigerant through coils underground where the temp is a constant 55 degrees. In heating mode, a compressor applies pressure to the refrigerant which heats it up enough to make the home comfortable in the winter. In cooling mode, it transfers that 55 degree ground temp into the house for a nice cool temperature drop even on the hottest days.  

Common air-source heat pumps have to rely on the fluctuating outside air temperatures which make them less effective than their geothermal cousin. 

There are many advantages to a ground source geothermal heat pump system:

1. Extreme efficiency. They move heat rather than create it so you can expect 30-60% savings on heating costs compared to today’s most efficient furnace!  20-50% compared to A/C.
2. Green and renewable. Geothermal is considered the most ‘green’ of any hvac system. It only extracts heat from the earth so no dependency on fossil fuels.
3. Very quiet operation. No need for the noisy fan of air-source heat pumps so the operation is nearly silent.  

Disadvantages:

1.  A very costly initial investment requires 5 to 10 years to recoup.
2. The largest part of the system is installed underground. Any damage to the underground equipment can be expensive to repair.

Feel free to reach out with any home buying or inspection questions that come to mind!