Installing a Geothermal
Water Heater

Geothermal water heating option 

 Installing a Geothermal Water Heater

When you first take a look at the prices for a geothermal water heather, you may think that they’re expensive compared to a standard gas or electric water heater. In reality, though the initial cost is higher, the cost over time is much lower. Understanding this requires understanding how these devices operate.

The Efficiency

In most cases, a geothermal water heater will be between four and six times more efficient than a standard gas or electric water heater. This means that, even though you are consuming an inherently environmentally friendly form of energy to heat your water, you're still reaping benefits in terms of efficiency compared to what you would get with a standard water heater. This is a powerful thing to consider when you are considering the costs of a geothermal water heater.

Another thing you’ll want to consider is the impact that you’re having on the planet. With a geothermal water heater, this impact is negligible, at best. Compared to the consequences of consuming fossil fuels, there is no impact at all. The geothermal system is merely taking heat energy that is stored in the earth and transferring to the water. An electric or gas system is taking energy that is produced by fossil fuels and using it to heat the water. This is a much more wasteful process that has serious implications for the health of the planet.

Other Benefits of Geothermal

One of the main reasons that people go ahead and install a geothermal water heater is because the eventual price is so low. When you have one of these units installed, you are no longer required to pay the utility companies to heat your water, which, of course, means that you have less to pay in monthly bills. This has some financial benefits, of course, and it also has some psychological benefits, in that a bill is essentially removed from your budget.

The Installation Process

One of the advantages of having a geothermal ground loop set up is that there are many different appliances that can be operated off of it. Installing a geothermal water heater is a natural move if you already have a geothermal ground loop installed. You will have to consult with a contractor to determine how suitable one of these is for your particular situation. Most of the time, however, these are entirely viable for anybody who has a geothermal loop installed.

The installation of any geothermal ground loop is going to be a somewhat expensive proposition. You have to keep in mind, however, that, just as is the case of the geothermal water heater, every other apparatus that runs off of a geothermal ground loop is going to save the homeowner money. It's an inevitable benefit of having these systems installed. Once these initial costs are dealt with, the benefits are reaped immediately and the homeowner can look forward to paying far less in energy bills in the future and to no longer contributing to environmental damage as much as a home without geothermal heating and cooling.

by - Phillip Rye

Are you building a home and looking for information on how a geothermal heat pump can save you thousands? Visit my home design site at www.rye-homes.com for more information.

 

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