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geothermal heating system | Keith Air Conditioning

6 Ways to Get Comfortable With Geothermal Heating

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From cost savings to improved comfort to environmental sustainability, geothermal heating systems offer a host of benefits. Learn the many ways a geothermal heating system can help you to achieve optimal comfort in your Mobile, Alabama, home.

Lower Energy Consumption

One of the greatest benefits of a geothermal heating system is that it can keep you and your family comfortable while using much less energy than a traditional heating system. Unlike air-source heat pumps, which rely on cold outdoor air as an exchange medium, ground-source pumps benefit from relatively stable underground temperatures.

Standard heat pumps might be energy efficient, but the Department of Energy (DOE) estimates they achieve up to 250 percent efficiency on chilly winter days. In contrast, geothermal pumps reach up to 600 percent efficiency even on freezing winter nights. Altogether, geothermal heat pumps use about 50 percent less energy than traditional heating systems do, which means they can significantly lower your household energy consumption.

Significant Cost Savings

The relatively high upfront costs of geothermal heating systems, which can easily top $10,000, are enough to intimidate some homeowners. However, when they calculate the system’s total cost and energy consumption over time, most homeowners realize geothermal heating systems actually offer significant savings.

In fact, the DOE estimates that even with the installation cost and the unit purchase price, you can recover your original investment in as little as two years. Since this cost recovery depends largely on utility savings, in some situations, it can take up to 10 years for you to recoup your costs. In either case, you have the opportunity to earn back your investments at least a decade before you’ll need to start planning for a system replacement.

Environmental Sustainability

Geothermal energy is an environmentally friendly choice for several reasons. In addition to using less energy overall, geothermal heating systems generate far fewer emissions. In fact, geothermal energy doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or other harmful gases that lead to air pollution.

Because they work well with zoning systems, geothermal heating systems can also ensure you don’t waste energy, even on the hottest or coldest days. Zoning systems allow you to cool or heat select rooms and areas in your home, so there’s no need to use extra energy conditioning your entire home.

Longer Lifespan

Some HVAC system components require regular replacement and even more frequent maintenance to run smoothly. Geothermal heat systems, however, don’t fall into this category.

Once installed, these heating systems rarely require maintenance, and they can keep your family cozy and warm almost without a second thought. Since geothermal heating systems have few moving parts, they are far less susceptible to breakdowns. Because the geothermal components do not reside outdoors where they are exposed to the elements, they also tend to be much more durable. In fact, the piping networks integral to geothermal heating systems can last up to 50 years. Moreover, most geothermal heat pumps last for at least 20 years.

Improved Indoor Air Quality

Many Alabama homeowners struggle with moisture levels in their homes, no matter the season. Geothermal heat pumps solve this problem by easily maintaining comfortable 50 percent humidity levels throughout the home. Not only will this increase your family’s comfort, but it will also improve indoor air quality. Overly humid air can cause dust mites, mold, and bacteria to thrive; managing indoor moisture levels leads to much healthier and more breathable air.

Unobtrusive Operation

If you’ve ever found a standard air conditioner to be overly loud or disruptive, you’ll be relieved to know that geothermal heating systems are celebrated for their unobtrusive operation. Because most of the system parts are located underground, with only a small, discreet indoor unit, they take up only a fraction of the indoor space that a traditional heating or cooling system uses.

Since geothermal heating systems don’t rely on large exterior units, they are also remarkably quiet, even when operating at full speed. This means your family can comfortably enjoy outdoor and indoor activities without the loud hum of an air conditioner in the background.

Ready to make the switch to geothermal energy? Call our geothermal heating experts at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. today at 251-476-3610.

attic insulation

How Insulating Your Attic Lowers Your Energy Bill

attic insulationIf your home is drafty, has uneven temperatures or costs a fortune to heat and cool, a trip to the attic will likely reveal inadequate levels of insulation. A Harvard study designed to analyze the environmental impact of poor insulation found that 63 percent of U.S. homes would benefit from additional attic insulation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cites adding attic insulation as one of the most cost-effective ways to lower your household energy bills.

Heat Flow Management

Keeping your energy bill manageable is all about controlling the flow of heat in your home. Whether from radiation, conduction or convection, heat flows from warm areas to cool areas. In every season, attic insulation provides you with an affordable way to save money on heating and cooling costs by providing effective resistance to the flow of heat:

  • In warm weather, heat flows from the outdoors into your home. Without proper insulation, the temperature in your attic can reach more than 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In cold weather, heat flows from warmed living spaces to unheated spaces like attics, forcing your heater to work overtime to keep you comfortable.

Optimize Savings with Proper Sealing

In cold weather, temperature differentials between the exterior and interior of your home cause a phenomenon known as the stack effect. As warm air rises towards the attic, the air pressure increases. The lower air pressure in your living areas then acts like a chimney stack, sucking in cold outside air and drawing it upwards. If the attic floor and access door are not properly sealed, heat will escape through leaks and gaps. The EPA urges homeowners to air seal attics when adding insulation to effectively reduce heating and cooling costs.

In warm weather or cold, it makes sense to focus on improvements like insulating your attic, for a greater return on your heating and cooling investments. For more information about money-saving products and services that can substantially lower your monthly energy bill, call 251-476-3610 to speak with the knowledgeable experts at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc.