Replacing Your Heating and Cooling System: Which is the Best Option?
If you’re a homeowner, at least once in your home’s life, you may need to replace the heating and cooling system. And with the rising prices of propane, continual shift in oil prices and steady climb of electricity, it makes fiscal sense to find a system that is going to work best in your area. Since some heating and cooling systems can last up to 20 years or more, finding out which system is going to cost the least amount in fuel costs over two decades can be difficult at best.
One thing about fuel prices is that they change over time. One of the most stable forms of energy is electricity and it will probably continue that way for some time. If your home is heated with electricity, then switching to a geothermal air source heat pump is probably the best option for you. These heat your home as well as cool it efficiently.
The average air-source heat pump is like an air conditioning unit, with a few extra parts thrown in. A heat pump works by pumping heat out of your home when in cooling mode and pumping warmer air into your home while it’s heating. It pumps cooler or warmer air from the outside air directly to the air compressor, increasing energy efficiency dramatically.
Geothermal heat pumps work in the same way except instead of pumping hot or cold air from the outdoors into the compressor; it pumps the ambient air from a series of underground coils. The underground temperature remains steady in all areas, even in the most extreme temperature regions of the world, making a geothermal heat pump the most energy efficient of all heating and cooling systems.
Unfortunately, the high prices of geothermal heating installations often discourage homeowners from installing these energy saving air handlers. The Federal Stimulus Bill can alleviate some of that burden. Until the end of 2016, a 30 percent credit can be gained, making them almost as affordable as conventional heating and cooling systems. Some states like North Carolina offer an additional 35 percent tax credit, increasing the savings even further, making them a viable alternative to conventional heating and cooling systems.
What’s more, further advantages like year round heating and cooling, hook ups to water heating systems and low maintenance costs help to make the geothermal heat pump one of the best choices for long term savings when installing a new heating or cooling system in your home.
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