Education & Tips

Geothermal Heating and Cooling - 6 Myths Busted

1. Geothermal HVAC systems are not considered a renewable technology because they

use electricity.

Fact: Geothermal HVAC systems use only one unit of electricity to move up to five units of cooling

or heating from the earth to a building.

2. Geothermal HVAC needs lots of yard or real estate in which to place the polyethylene

piping earth loops.

Fact: Depending on the characteristics of the site, the earth loop may be buried vertically, meaning

little above-ground surface is needed. Or, if there is an available aquifer that can be tapped

into, only a few square feet of real estate are needed. Remember, the water is returned to the

aquifer whence it came after passing over a heat exchanger, so it is not “used” or otherwise negatively impacted.

3. Geothermal HVAC heat pumps are noisy.

Fact: The systems run very quiet and there is no equipment outside to bother neighbors.

4. Geothermal systems eventually “wear out.”

Fact: Earth loops can last for generations. The heat-exchange equipment typically lasts decades, since it is protected

indoors. When it does need to be replaced, the expense is much less than putting in an entire new geothermal system,

since the loop or well is the most pricey to install. New technical guidelines eliminate the issue of thermal retention in the

ground, so heat can be exchanged with it indefinitely. In the past, some improperly sized systems did overheat or overcool

the ground over time, to the point that the system no longer had enough of a temperature gradient to function.

5. Geothermal HVAC systems only work in heating mode.

Fact: They work just as effectively in cooling and can be engineered to require no additional backup heat source if

desired, although some customers decide that it is more cost effective to have a small backup system for just the coldest

days if it means their loop can be smaller.

6. Geothermal HVAC systems cannot heat water, a pool, and a home at the same time.

Fact: Systems can be designed to handle multiple loads simultaneously.

Info retrieved at: http://energyblog.

nationalgeographic.

com/2013/09/17/10-myths-aboutgeothermal-

heating-and-cooling