What is Geothermal Heating and Cooling?

A geothermal heating and cooling system is an energy-efficient system that uses the natural ground temperature to warm or cool your home or business. It has three main parts:

• the air handling system to transfer the air
• the groundwater heat exchanger to take heat from the ground or back into the earth to cool
• and the geothermal loop that moves heat between the air handling system and the exchanger.

Types of Geothermal Loops

Closed Loop Geothermal System

Closed loop systems can be either horizontal or vertical plastic tubing underground or in a nearby lake or pond. Water and usually antifreeze are circulated in a closed system.

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Open Loop Geothermal System

These geothermal systems are only an option if there’s plenty of clean, fresh water nearby, typically a well water or a lake on the property. After the water leaves the home, it’s expelled through a discharge well or suitable drainage system.

Types of Geothermal Systems

Daniel Dean installs Horizontal Geothermal Systems

A horizontal system typically is a closed loop where the fluid in pipes is recycled. Pipes are laid either in parallel rows or in a slinky loops in a trench (or multiple trenches) or a pit, approximately 5-10 feet deep, depending on soil conditions. Multiple trenches can be 100 feet long x 8 feet wide, whereas a pit is typically 50 x 100 feet. Trench area requires about 9000 feet of cleared land. Either method offers the most economical geothermal option for new homes or buildings, with the only requirements being lots of available land and the optimum kind of soil.

Vertical Geothermal Systems

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A vertical geothermal system uses holes about 6-8 inches wide and drilling 200 to 400 feet deep to insert pipes for a closed loop system. If drilling for multiple pipes, about 20 feet of separation between bore holes is required. Vertical geothermal systems are generally more expensive than horizontal systems, but require less pipe and less area, which make them more ideal for suburbs.

How a Geothermal System Works

After a geothermal system is installed, a heat pump, usually located in an attic, garage or utility closet, circulates liquid through pipes into the ground. These pipes absorb the temperature that is distributed into the ground from the sun. The liquid in the loops circulates back up to the geothermal heat pump to heats or cools your home. In the winter, the heat from the liquid is extracted and distributed around the home. In the summer, heat is taken from the home into the liquid which carries it into the ground to cool.

Because of how a geothermal heating and cooling system works, it doesn’t require fossil fuels or a lot of electricity, it is environmentally friendly. It’s recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a clean, renewable source of energy.

Tax Credits

The federal tax credit initially allowed homeowners to claim 30% of the amount they spent on purchasing and installing a geothermal heat pump system. The tax credit currently stands at 26% throughout 2021 and 2022, before decreasing to 22% in 2023.

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Homeowners who install geothermal can get the tax credit simply by filling out a form declaring the amount you spent when you file your federal income taxes. As long as your system is up and running by the end of 2022, you can claim the 26% from your federal income taxes.

It’s an incredible advantage and can significantly reduce the cost of the system overall. There’s no limit to the value of the tax credit. As long as you still own the house where the system is installed, you can claim the true percentage based on the year you installed the system.

See current rules on tax credits at https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i5695.

Is a Geothermal System Efficient for Houston

Shared from https://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/138979-geothermal-heating-cooling-systems-common-houston.html.

“Let me clear all this up. I am a geothermal installer in Houston and yes it works well, and hundreds of systems are in use. Efficiency is about 30-40 SEER, about double the best conventional systems. Heating costs about 1/4 of gas heat costs. Ground temp here is about 72 degrees year round. This means we do not need to use antifreeze in the system. Drilling loops avg 250-300 ft each per ton, and drilling is not tough here. Cost is higher than conventional initially, but payback is in about 3-4 years. These systems are more common in Dallas and Austin, just because they are being pushed there more by manufacturers. Now that those markets are set, Houston is next. An investment that pays for itself many times over. In a 20 yr period. a typical 4 ton system will save over $70,000 in utilities.”

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