Forget your furnace, it’s time to go geothermal! Using geothermal energy to heat and cool your home is a fairly new form of technology, but it is becoming increasingly popular for many reasons. We are going to outline how geothermal systems work and the benefits they can bring.

What is Geothermal?

Put in the simplest form, a geothermal system uses the earth as its source for heating and cooling your home, instead of other common energy forms: gas, electric, oil, etc. The system is a pump that can transfer heat from the earth into your home or reverse flow and transfer heat from your home back into the ground. Benefits of geothermal include efficiency, safety, and a reduced carbon footprint.

Different Geothermal Systems

Harnessing geothermal energy happens in two different systems: open-loop and closed-loop. Both have different benefits and are often based on geography and land space available.

Open-Loop System

• Pumps water from a nearby water source (like a lake or ground well) and circulates is throughout the system
• Higher energy efficiency and lower costs than a closed-loop
• Ideal for multi-family dwellings

Closed-Loop System

• System of pipes places into the ground, horizontally or vertically
• Heat transfer fluid circulates throughout the system, heat is transferred via conduction

Benefits of Geothermal

Environmental Impact

A huge reason that people switch to geothermal systems is their extremely low environment impact. Geothermal energy is essentially 100% renewable because heating and cooling is done by the earth’s temperature, without taking any resources from it. A geothermal system can decrease the carbon footprint of your home by up to 50%. To put it into perspective, one geothermal installation is equivalent to planting one acre of trees or removing four cars from the road (in regards to CO2 emissions).

Cost Savings

After the initial cost of installation, a geothermal system will save you money in operational costs. Everyone has experienced the variable rates of electricity and oil, but geothermal stays consistent because no energy is actually being consumed. You can save even more by applying for government rebates on your system. The Ontario government offers grants for residential geothermal systems, so look into how you can get money back for your environmental responsibility.

Increased Safety

Switching to geothermal energy can keep your family safe. With geothermal, you completely eliminate the risk of natural gas or propane leaks, oil leaks into your yard, and combustions of CO2.

We have only scratched the surface of geothermal systems in this blog, but we would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Contact the team at Bryan’s Fuel.