If you're looking for the most energy efficient way to condition your Greater Cincinnati home, consider geothermal heating and cooling. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), homes with this kind of conditioning save significantly on summer energy bills and even more during the winter heating season.

In a sense, geothermal systems are solar systems. They tap into the stored solar heat underground as fuel, rather than using fossil fuels to create heat. A geothermal system does use electricity, but only to run the components of the system. These are heat pumps that simply move heat from one place to another. In geothermal heating and cooling systems, the underground loops simply move heat to and from the earth for your home.

Sun striking the earth is a tremendous energy resource. Annually, the earth absorbs just under half of the solar energy that hits it. This energy is clean, renewable and free. The EPA found that geothermal systems are 48 percent more efficient than gas furnaces and over 75 percent more so than oil furnaces. Unlike electricity or fossil fuels, it costs nothing to use the stored solar energy underground.

Geothermal equipment has a long life, as well. The underground looping field can last as long as 50 years, and the indoor equipment can reach 25 years or longer with proper maintenance. In order to offset the higher cost of purchase and installation, the federal government has a tax credit program in place for homeowners who install these systems through the end of 2016. The program allows a 30 percent credit for the equipment, installation and labor. No cap exists on any of the costs associated with these systems.

Geothermal systems are able to supply enough heat during our cold winters, since the temperatures below ground never get as cold as the outdoor air. If you'd like to learn more about geothermal heating and cooling, contact JonLe Heating & Cooling. We've provided HVAC services for
Greater Cincinnati since 1959. 

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