But what exactly is a geothermal heat pump?Geothermal heat pumps are central heating or cooling systems that pump heat from (or to) the ground. In the winter, they use the earth as a source of heat while, in the summer, they use the earth as a heat sink. They are designed to take advantage of the moderate temperatures generated from the mantle of the earth and transferring through the ground to boost efficiency, and reduce the operating costs of heating and cooling systems. They are also known as ground-source heat pumps, and systems may be advertised as ground source heating and cooling systems.

Much like your air conditioner, a geothermal system uses a heat pump to forcefully transfer heat. They can be used to both heats and cool your home. They do this using refrigerant, which pumps through a vapor compression refrigeration cycle to move heat around. They exchange heat with the ground either driving hot air into the ground during the warmer months or taking it from the ground during the cooler months.

Geothermal heat pumps are 50-70% more efficient than conventional heating systems, and 20-40% more efficient than conventional air conditioning systems. This results in significant cost savings to you.It costs more at the outset to set up a geothermal heat pump system, and this can turn many people off. However, the long-term savings make these systems more than worth their investment. Most people will recover their initial costs within 3-10 years. The system will last on average 25 years for the indoor components and over 50 years for the underground pipes.

Geothermal heat pumps produce far fewer greenhouse gasses than steam heaters, air conditioners, and oil furnaces. In fact, the only emissions produced by these systems are from their electricity supply. In general, they save about 5 tons of carbon emissions each year. Also, because they use renewable energy from the sun and does not rely on outdoor air, your indoor air quality will improve...free of pollutants, mold, pollens and other allergens.

One system can heat and cool your home, as well as heat your water. These systems use a 'desuperheater' to turn waste heat into the heat supply for your water. When you cool your home in the summer months, your water will be heated as a byproduct of the process. In the winter, you use the heating mode on your thermostat to heat your water. Not all systems come with this option, and you can also choose to install a separate, stand-alone water heating system to heat water all year round.

So if you want to heat and cool your home efficiently and eco-friendly and also experience great cost savings, geothermal heat pumps are a great choice.

Go to www.komax.com for more information.