Regardless of whether you’re erecting a new home or upgrading your current home, the choice to go with either a common HVAC system or geothermal heating and cooling can be a hard one. It’s rarely the case that Salem homeowners don’t understand the benefits of geothermal. What’s to disparage, after all, about a system that heats and cools your home naturally without fossil fuels and combustion, that has hardly any mechanical parts, that needs little maintenance, that can keep on working efficiently for 30 to 50 years or more, and that can slash energy bills by as much as 70 percent or more?
No, homeowners’ initial objections to going geothermal almost always have to do with these five fears:
- Fear of High Up-Front Costs.
- Fear of “Too Little Too Late” Return on Investment.
- Fear That the Technology Remains “Unproven.”
- Fear That Geothermal Heating and Cooling May Not Be the Best Alternative.
- Fear of Meager Dealer Support and Service.
Let’s examine these fears individually.
Fear of High Up-Front Costs. This isn’t totally groundless; geothermal’s up-front costs are high, especially as they relate to the installation of ground loops. But given the life of a geothermal system – much longer than the life of standard heating and cooling systems, that’s for sure! – going with geothermal is an investment in long-term energy efficiency and comfortable living. You’d exchange a new boiler, for example, at least once before you’d have to overhaul or replace any part of a geothermal system. Then, too, with a conventional system, you’re paying for electricity from the grid or for oil to burn, and those expenditures are spiraling upwards all the time. Geothermal energy is renewable energy that saves you money in the short term and maximizes the resale value of your home in the long term.
Fear of “Too Little Too Late” Return on Investment. The return on investment in most geothermal systems is at least 10 percent. What this says is that, for each dollar you invest, you’ll save 10 percent each year for as long as you keep your system. The savings will kick in as soon as it’s operational, too.
Fear That the Technology Remains “Unproven.” The fact is, modern geothermal technology has proven itself time and again in countless installations here in Salem, across the nation, and around the globe since first introduced in the late 1940s. Influences such as the increased demand for renewable energy and efficient, cost-effective space-conditioning systems have contributed to making the geothermal industry one of the fastest-growing in the 21st century. Certainly, fewer and fewer homeowners have qualms] about opting for a geothermal system. They’re finding geothermal technology infinitely more efficient and trustworthy than standard high-efficiency gas furnaces and whole-house air conditioners.
Fear That Geothermal Heating and Cooling Might Not Be the Proper Alternative. Financial considerations do indeed come into play here. You’d be well advised to compare renewable-energy technology with that using traditional energy sources and appraise the overall costs and ROI of each. Should your home occupy enough land area to accommodate the ground loops, geothermal will undoubtedly prove the best alternative – for the reasons mentioned above.
Fear of Meager Dealer Support and Service. We can put this fear to rest right here and now. Mill Creek Heating is a trusted Salem geothermal dealer, installer, and service provider. We’ll work closely with you from the beginning, and we’ll be there to address your geothermal system’s every maintenance and service need for as long as it’s yours.
In the final analysis, the only thing you should really fear is not being able to enjoy all the comfort, efficiency, energy-bill savings, and contentment a geothermal heating and cooling system provides. Contact the geothermal experts at Mill Creek Heating today!