Quite a few homeowners here in Salem, Oregon, have sought Mill Creek Heating to upgrade their homes to geothermal homes. Still leery of geothermal heating and cooling yourself? Knowing some of the science behind it – and the mechanics as well – might help.
We’ve talked elsewhere about the advantages of geothermal heating and cooling. Suffice it to say here that almost no other means of maintaining an agreeable home environment all year long are as efficient, dependable, or economical, particularlly when you gauge the energy savings.
Here’s how geothermal makes that a reality.
Thar’s Gold Heat in Them Thar Hills!
We dig in the earth for precious metals. We dig in the earth for oil. Now, more than ever, we’re tapping the earth for something no doubt just as valuable to most of us: the energy to heat and cool our homes that doesn’t entail oil.
You see, right under the earth’s crust – that would be about 33,000 feet under our feet – is a stratum of magma. This is a molten and semi-molten blend, mainly of silicates, in which temperatures range from 1300 degrees Fahrenheit to 2400 degrees Fahrenheit and hotter the deeper you go (not that you’d want to go there!). What this serves to do is keep the ground immediately under the earth’s surface at a year-round temperature of between 45 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Result? Underground temperatures in Salem (and essentially everywhere stateside, anyway) are warmer than the ambient air above ground in Winter and cooler than the ambient air above ground in Summer.
Time to Get Pumped!
The job, then, of a geothermal heating and cooling system is to|Underground temperatures being what they are, then, it’s the job of a geothermal heating and cooling system to transfer heat from the ground to your home or heat from your home to the ground, as the season dictates. Either way, your home environment is maintained at the ideal temperature to keep you and your family happy in every season.
The mechanism that executes the transfer is a geothermal heat pump. It continuously circulates water or some blend (commonly antifreeze) between your home and loops of piping (commonly fabricated of polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, PVC, or CPVC) installed in the ground. In Winter, the liquid is cold when it enters the ground. As it courses through the loops, it takes in heat from the earth and is returned to your home warm. In Summer, the process is reversed: warm liquid goes into the loops, where it takes in the cooler ground temperatures before it’s returned to your home. Want details? You’ll find more comprehensive information on ground loops here.
The salient point is that geothermal heating and cooling systems don’t produce energy. They’re not like central heating systems, which generate heat themselves. Instead, geothermal systems heat and cool your home by making use of the energy already richly available beneath the earth’s surface. That’s why geothermal systems don’t only run quieter but also prove considerably more trustworthy, need less maintenance, have far longer lifespans, and are more environmentally friendly than old-school HVACs. That’s also why, in the end, you’ll save much more more money by going geothermal.
Curious now? Talk with Mill Creek Heating, your Salem geothermal heating and cooling authority, today.