Geothermal heat pumps have become extremely popular with homeowners in Pennsylvania, in part because they are such energy-efficient systems. According to F and H Heating and Plumbing owner Bob Habermehl, a geothermal heat pump expert in Allentown, geothermal heat pumps are significantly more efficient than traditional heat pumps.
Whereas a regular heat pump would be bringing the air inside a home down to 65 or 70 degrees when it is 90 degrees outside – and then trying to heat the air inside up to 65 degrees when it is a chilly 20 degrees outside – a geothermal heat pump is tied into the ground and stays at a consistent 55 degrees year-round. Geothermal heat pumps do not necessarily have to work any harder on the hottest day of the year or the coldest day of the year than they do on any other day, since the soil deep in the earth where the heat pump is located stays at a consistent temperature.
When he explains this concept to his clients, Habermehl uses the example of having to turn on a heater on a freezing morning in Allentown. Pulling heat from a geothermal heat pump, which stays at 55 degrees year around, is much easier on a 26-degree morning than pulling heat from a system that is sitting outside in the frigid air.
The only time when a geothermal heat pump may not be the most energy-efficient heating and cooling option is when the temperature outside is roughly 60 degrees. If a person is trying to heat his home to 65 on a 60 degree day, then a traditional heater would probably be a better option. However, Habermehl is careful to point out that it is extremely rare that a person would ever turn on his heater or air conditioner on such a mild day anyway. Most of the time, when people are heating and cooling their homes, they are doing so on very hot or very cold days.
Although geothermal heat pumps are most frequently talked about in terms of heating, Habermehl points out that they can be used to cool homes too. When it’s 80 or 90 degrees outside, a geothermal heat pump will be able to get colder air into the home in less time and use less energy than a traditional HVAC unit to do so.
The heat transfer is much better with a geothermal heat pump than with other types of heating and cooling systems, which is why more and more homeowners in Allentown are choosing geothermal heat pump systems over traditional heaters and air conditioners these days.