Geothermal Heat Pumps

Hey, this is Derek Cole with 1 Hour Heating and Air, and today we have with us Steve Cole, and he is the expert on geothermal heat pumps. Now today we're talking all about energy. So the most energy-efficient way to heat and cool your home is by geothermal, correct?

Correct.

So geothermal is kind of misunderstood out there a little bit, and we get a lot of questions on it. So kind of go into what geothermal Yes.

Well, the standard heat pump, you have an outdoor unit for a reason. The unit's outside so it can use the outdoor ambient temperature. So when you're trying to cool your house, you're extracting heat out of your house and rejecting it to the outdoor air. So when you hear the word 3-ton unit, that 3 tons means 3 tons at 95-degree outdoor temp.

Right.

So when that temperature is above 95 degrees, you don't have 3-ton capacity anymore. And then on the heating side, You know, you're trying to absorb heat from outside. So the colder it is outdoors, the less heat you get. So with a conventional system, the more you need it, the less you have.

So what is different about geothermal compared to that?

Geothermal, we're using the earth's temperature. In this area of the Carolinas, we have a lot of open-loop systems. The earth's temperature is between 56 and 60 degrees between 85 and 100 foot. We use an 85 to 100-foot deep well, and that water temp on the hottest day of the year, we're cooling your house using 60-degree water. On the coldest day of the year, we're heating your house using 56-degree water. Tremendous amount of difference in temperature.

So on a 95-degree day, which is very common around here, so now we're trying to cool a home with 60-degree water?

You're looking at 59, 60-degree water. That 3-ton geothermal unit, because we have great temperatures in this area of the United States, is actually giving you right at 3.5 tons capacity.

Amazing. So that's how you're saving so much energy on it. Now, when we rate systems for a conventional heat pump, we talk about SEER rating. So geothermal goes on something different. It's called EER. Now, what exactly is it?

Yeah, even a unit with a SEER rating has an EER rating. EER is a commercial rating. That's what engineers want to see. It's done at a set temperature of 85 degrees, the testing, so nobody can play with the numbers. So an EER rating is very accurate. A 14 SEER unit is going to be somewhere around 10 EER. Our top-of-the-line geothermal unit is at 54 EER. Wow. And that's like miles per gallon. And another big thing with the geothermal technology today, we have true variable speed. 95% of people in the United States have a single-speed unit. Can you imagine your automobile having just one button you push to go? You couldn't control how fast your engine's going? Well, you have an accelerator. You can accelerate. The same with your geothermal heat pump. It has 12 stages of heat and up to 12 stages of cooling. Tremendous amount of control and dehumidification.

So let's talk about cost because that's the next question. How much is it going to cost me to get one of these in? And the good news is, in 2015 at least, we're going to have some government tax credits upside.

Well, that's the only product you can buy for your home where the government here in the state of North Carolina is going to pay you back up to 65% of the cost of it. That's the total cost. If you got to dig a well, if you got to dig ditches to put in loop, however you want to do it, all your costs you get up to 65% back in tax credits.. It goes directly against what you owe, and you can carry it over up to 5 years in case you don't owe that much taxes. So it's the biggest no-brainer on earth. How many times does the government pay you to put something in your house? That's how efficient this is. That's how much energy it's going to save the United States of America.

And the reason they're doing that is because a report came out recently that said that renewable energy was the most— it overtook fossil fuels on how much is around the world, and same way with geothermal. They want you to be more efficient, so therefore they're paying you some tax credits to get it done.

Yeah, because most people save up to 70% of their cost of heating and cooling with a geothermal unit.

Wow, unbelievable. Guys, for more information— and thank you, Steve, for being here— more information, give us a call, 910-534-4462, or visit us online at onehouraircarolinas.com.

Today's episode was brought to you by the Comfort Experts. See us for all your heating and air conditioning needs. For more information, visit onehouraircarolinas.com.

Carolinas.com.

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