It’s getting rather late in the season to be thinking about a new heating installation. That being said, if you are weighing your options, you really want to take the time to ensure that you are choosing your system wisely. The last thing that anyone wants is to be stuck with an ineffective, inefficient heating system just because they rushed through the system selection process. One option you should stop and give some attention to is the geothermal system. Because geothermal systems utilize heat pump technology, you can use your ground source heat pump in Everett, WA throughout the entire year. Just make sure that you schedule your geothermal services with a member of the G & S Heating Cooling & Electric staff, so that you get the best performance that your system has to offer.
How Can a Geothermal System Work in the Summer and the Winter?
The key to a geothermal system’s versatility lies in its utilization of heat pump technology. You see, heat pumps transfer heat from one place to another, rather than generate it. That is why a heat pump can work just like an AC in the summer, removing heat from one’s home, while doubling as a heater in the winter. The heat pump uses refrigerant to absorb heat and to move it into or out of a home as needed. Unlike air-source heat pumps, though, geothermal systems transfer heat between your home and the ground outside. In doing so, they are able to provide very reliable and efficient heating.
Why Geothermal Systems Make Great Heaters
In general, heat pumps are well-suited to our climate in the Pacific Northwest, as our winters are not as harsh and extreme as in, say, Minnesota. However, very cold weather can creep in some times, and this can make it difficult for air-source heat pumps to absorb a sufficient amount of latent heat from the air outside. Ground-source heat pumps, or geothermal systems, though, use a buried loop circulating an antifreeze solution in order to absorb heat from beneath the ground in the winter. It exchanges this heat with the refrigerant in the heat pump, which is then compressed in order to maximize its thermal energy, before using that heat to heat one’s home. The temperature beneath the ground is very constant, making geothermal heating not only incredibly efficient, but extremely reliable, as well.
