Is geothermal heating worth it?

It works wonderfully if you happen to live in an area with a natural hot water supply, such as a hot spring, etc.There are some areas in the US where it is practical. It is widely used in Iceland and some parts of New Zealand.

It’s a lovely way to heat (and cool) if you are fortunate to live in a place where you can take advantage of it.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land so it is only effective for a select few areas around the world…well those with hot springs or volcanic activity…I did not know that…thanks for the input

@Gossamer You can use a heat pump to gain some of the advantages, but true geothernal heating needs that natural hot water source.

Here on the Big Island of Hawaii, about 10% of our electricity comes from a geothermal electrical plant. It uses the natural heat generated by the volcano to produce steam to run the electrical generators. It’s a great way to produce pollution-free electricity.

@hawaii_jake It’s marvelous if you have the heat source. Iceland generates almost 90% of their electricity that way and New Zealand about 35%.

Most of the energy in Iceland is produced by Geothermics, and when used in the kitchen it makes water boil faster than anything.

@ragingloli Iceland is blessed with that wonderfully green natural energy source.

Geothermal heating and cooling is viable all over the place, it is not restricted to places with active volcanoes & geysers. Since the ground is about 55F year round (where I live, Chicago), you have a free cooling/heating source 6 feet below the ground.

In the winter, with a geothermal system, your gas furnace only has to boost the air from 55 F up to 68 F. It might be 0 F outside, but you always have that 55 F baseline.

In the summer, your air conditioner works with cool air rather than hot outside air.

Installation is more expensive than conventional heating, and it’s easier with new construction than retrofits (you have to dig a big hole under/near your building). But you can recoup the cost in a few years with lower energy bills.

Popular Mechanics has a good introduction to home geothermal

@jaytkay Do you know how that works? What keeps the temperature constant if you are drawing in heated or cooled fresh air from the surface?

@jaytkay That’s what I was describing using the heat pump for. Not nearly as effective as geothermal but more efficient than many other heat sources.

@pdworkin I think you are asking ‘what keeps the 55 F underground constant’, is that correct?

The water circulates underground through small pipe, and they use a lot of it.

This page from Climatemaster says they use “several hundred feet” of trench if they can lay the pipe under your yard. In a confined area, they dig down vertically “150 to 250 feet”.

Thanks, for some reason I was fixated on the idea of air. I am an idiot.

@jaytkay @pdworkin My underground house utilizes the same principle, the “flywheel effect” of large masses of earth and stone. For the constant-temperature effect, you must go 50+ feet underground, which is why the water circulation pipes have to go so deep with a heat pump system. The Climatemaster system is a heat pump, just a brand name.

yes…indeed…my friends have done a lot of research on it.if you want i can forward their contacts.

@jamesaanda, welcome to Fluther! You will enjoy us, we have a myriad of topics that contain many new questions every day, and if you don’t find what you are looking for, just ask it yourself!

Your home’s heating and cooling system is a key contributor to maintaining your household bliss so if you are looking to maximize the comforts and benefits of your HVAC system, take a look at the option of geothermal energy. With newer technologies and energy efficient models flooding the markets regularly, geothermal heating and cooling is one of the best ways you and your family can have an efficient heating system that not only benefits the environment by accessing the earth’s natural heat but also slashes your energy bills to save you big bucks. So if excellent comfort at a low running cost seems like a good option to you, the next step is to look into the best geothermal heating and cooling contractors.