Electric Heating Systems

Humans have been taking advantage of geothermal energy since the Paleolithic era. Today, in 2004, for instance, as many as 70 countries have directly used 270 PJ of geothermal heat; 2007 also saw 28GW of geothermal heating capacities being installed all over the world. This satisfies only 0.07% of the total global energy consumption. So, to encourage the use of geothermal heating and cooling devices, the US government has enforced the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This Act entitles homeowners investing in the installation of geothermal systems to claim 30% of the installation charges in tax credits, the very year the system comes into service. Apart from government incentives, geothermal systems also offer other advantages.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Advantages
The three main advantages of Geothermal Heating and Cooling system are:

Renewable energy resource: Geothermal systems reduce your carbon footprints by tapping into the free and renewable energy resource found in your backyard. No pollution, no green house gas emission! By installing geothermal devices, you can considerably reduce your contribution to global warming.

Reduce utility bills: Geothermal systems can extract six times the energy that your grid provides. This means that these green systems are six time more effective than the electrical heating system. You can save up to three-fourth the price of electrical heating and one-fourth to half the cost of operating an air conditioner. A 1500 sq.ft house, equipped with geothermal heating and cooling devices, will have utility cost between $30 and $50 per month in the US climate.

Reliable and safe: Since geothermal systems have only a few moving parts, they are highly reliable. Failures are rare and require minimal maintenance. Since these systems do not have any outside parts, there is no chance of wear and tear in the outdoor condenser, unlike that in air conditioning systems. No risk of leaves and twigs entering the duct pipes and no chance of vandalism.

Additionally, geothermal heating and cooling systems are also durable. The polyethylene pipe in the loop fields come with a warranty of 50 years and last up to 200 years. With geothermal systems in place, you can eliminate the risk of CO poisoning which is usually associated with the natural gas heating process. The risk of fire outbreaks is lower as compared to having gas furnace or water heater.