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Geothermal

Even in northern climates, the soil maintains a temperature of around 50 degrees at about four feet beneath the earth's surface. Heat pumps move this heat energy from the soil to the house in the winter and operate in reverse in the summer, pulling heat out of the house and to the soil. Heat pumps installed in energy-efficient homes can use dramatically less electricity than conventional electric heating and cooling systems.

If you wish to install geothermal on an existing home, low interest financing is available if the system is installed as part of a comprehensive package through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program. Although this technology is not available in all areas, please contact a participating Building Performance Institute Accredited Contractor for more information on the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program.

"I really care about the environment and I wanted my new home to use the very best technology available, so I built a New York ENERGY STAR Home and installed a geothermal system. The energy savings are dramatic. My new house is more than twice as big as our previous home, but the heating bills are $500 a month lower." ~Paul Nagin Geothermal Homeowner

For more information about Geothermal, visit the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium

To find a geothermal installer, visit the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association and click on "Search Accredited Installers."

In additional federal tax credits may be available. Visit www.energytaxincentives.org for more information.