Geothermal Systems – Right For You?

The question comes up with increasing frequency these days, because “going green” is on more and more people’s minds – when it’s time to replace your aging HVAC system, is a geothermal system “right” for you? The answer is, it can be. Sure, if you need quality heating repairs in KC, at prices that won’t leave you feeling taken advantage of, we can help with that too, but when the day comes that you have to start thinking about replacement, you should consider a geothermal system.

Why? Efficiency. For many families, monthly energy bills are their third biggest monthly expense, sitting only behind the mortgage and car payment. For some families, especially during the hottest and coldest months of the year, your monthly energy bill can easily become your single largest outlay, every month. Anything you can do to reduce that number is a good thing.

Geothermal is an old, well established and well understood technology. Does that surprise you? It does many people, who think it’s a fairly new innovation, born on the wings of the recent surge in interest in green technologies. The reality is, we’ve been using geothermal systems for decades. That’s good news for you, if you’re considering getting one, because it means that all the kinks have been worked out of the system, and installation is generally smooth.

Some people mistakenly believe that you need to have a significant amount of land in order to install and make use of a geothermal system, but this isn’t necessarily true. It can be fairly land intensive, depending on how the “loops” (pipes buried beneath the ground) are laid out. If land space is limited, they can be laid vertically, deep into the earth, rather than horizontally, which is the configuration that can require significant amounts of land in order to be made to work.

So what is it about a geothermal system that makes it so much better than what you have right now?

In practice, it works a lot like your refrigerator does, by moving heat (or cold) from one place to another. In the case of your fridge, it moves the heat out of the refrigerator itself, so that your food can stay cool. In the case of your home, the unwanted hot (or cold) air is gently moved to the system of buried pipes, keeping your house at an even, comfortable temperature, without requiring much in the way of electricity, which drives conventional systems and drives your monthly bill through the roof.

How much can it save you each month? You’ll hear some pretty wild claims on this front, and admittedly, it depends on a lot of factors that are unique to your home and your lifestyle. Some companies like to advertise savings of up to 85% on your monthly energy bills, but this target is seldom actually met. In reality, your monthly savings will be closer to 60%, which is still significant.

Cost-wise, geothermal systems ARE more expensive. They’re easier to install if you’re building a new home, because the new home and the duct work can be designed around the geothermal system from day one, but it is entirely possible to install a geothermal system in an existing home – it does require a certain level of expertise and planning to make this as painless as it should be, and if it’s something you’re considering, then you’re in luck. Apex Heating and Air Conditioning has years of practical, hands on experience planning, installing, and maintaining geothermal systems, and we’d be happy to help you plan yours when it’s time for a replacement system.

Until then, of course, if you find yourself in need of heating repair in KC, give the folks at Apex a call. We’ll treat you right and get your existing system up and running with fast, friendly, reliable and affordable service, available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.