When fighting over cold weather, you rely heavily on your furnace to heat your home, but what happens when an older unit starts not to be efficient enough? It might be time to replace your furnace with a geothermal heat pump installation. These heat pumps can draw their heating power from the ground sources instead of a conventional heating system that will burn oil to produce heat.
A geothermal installation differs from the traditional HVAC system due to its ability to draw the heating power from the ground sources. A conventional HVAC heating system will take its energy from burning oil. This requires more power and can burn environmentally harmful fossil fuels.
Types of Geothermal Heat Pumps
A geothermal system installation provided by our experts at Suntech will give a range of different types of heat pumps. Our specialists will be able to determine the best type for installation on your property.
- Horizontal – Layered coils are placed into horizontal loops underground paired with polyethylene pipes that are buried in trenches about 6 feet deep.
- Vertical – Vertical ground loops are installed with 4-inch diameter holes drilled deep into the earth. These holes can range from 100 to 400 feet. This geothermal installation is ideal for properties with limited space.
- Pond/lake- Loop system that takes its heat from bodies of water instead of from the ground. The heat is drawn through a blanket of waters that contain racks of coils which draw the energy from. The racks are placed about 10 feet deep into the body of water.
Installation Process
Our Suntech specialists provide the highest quality residential geothermal installation. The exact process of the installation is as follows:
- Drilling/ground loops – Technicians will dig trenches into the property which will allow for the installation of the ground loop. This will connect it to the earth to draw energy from the ground.
- Ductwork (if needed) – If the present ductwork is not sufficient, new ductwork will be installed. This will work as a connector for the ground loops to the geothermal pump.
- Installing components – The heat pump system when installed will replace any preexisting pieces like the HVAC system. The heat pump will instead be connected to the ducts which will also connect to the ground loop system.
- Connections – To be fully functional, the geothermal heat pump installation will wire to the electricity of your home. When proper wiring is in place and the heat pump is assessed for safety and functionality, your installation process is complete.
New Constructions and Retrofitting
Do you have a new home or building being built and are unsure of the heating? Our geothermal installers at Suntech are here to provide the assistance you need. A geothermal heat pump installation by Suntech can be installed in any new construction and retrofitting circumstances. The downside to this is that these situations are more expensive than a typical residential installation as aspects like ductwork need to be put in or modified to work with the geothermal system installation.
How to Prep Your Home for Installation
A geothermal installation may seem like a big project that will disrupt your day but it doesn’t have to be. Our technicians at Suntech are ready to take some preliminary steps to make sure your installation is as smooth as possible. The steps we take for you are:
- Your home’s capacity – Technicians will perform an inspection of your property. This helps us get information like square footage, insulation, or the space available. These pieces of information help tell technicians how much energy the new system will need to properly heat the property.
- Location of the system – Due to the nature of the geothermal heat pump, technicians have to verify certain things before finding the correct spot for it. We investigate factors like soil heat transfer rate, space for ground loops, and the amount of water that is saturated in your home. These aspects affect how efficiently a heat pump system will be able to function for your property.
- Permits and approval – On your end, we do require that clients are approved by the local officials that the installation will occur by our licensed technicians.
How Long Does Geothermal Installation Take?
For a project like a geothermal heat pump installation, you may be curious as to how the long installation process will take. Geothermal installation processes can vary quite a bit as it takes in factors of the size and complexity of the property. Your typical residential installation will require a range of three to five days for the system application while larger commercial projects require much more time due to size. Commercial projects can take as long as two weeks as these require larger-scale engineering and permit approvals.
Benefits of Installing Geothermal Systems
At Suntech, we place a lot of value on geothermal system installation as they provide customers with a wide range of benefits that your traditional heating systems just do not give.
- Renewable energy – The heat pump system draws energy from the ground itself, creating continual reusable energy from a natural source rather than fossil fuels.
- Efficiency – Due to using a natural source, the system can continually provide heat, while traditional systems need another source like oil to function.
- Longer lifespan – A heat pump has fewer moving parts and is protected from outside elements. Components for the indoor side can last 25 years on average. This is a decade longer than the average for a traditional system. The ground loop, after installation, has a lifespan of more than 50 years!
- Quieter units – A heat pump system contains no outside components like a fan or compressor and the indoor unit has a noise level akin to a fridge.
- Lower operating costs – The system will create an increase in electricity usage, the pump can save you between 30 to 60 percent on heating and 20 to 50 percent on your cooling. This paired with the lack of items like propane and oil, will end up costing you a lot less than a traditional system.
Cost of Geothermal Systems
The big question when it comes to a project is, “How much does a geothermal heat pump installation cost?”. At Suntech, we want to always be honest with our clients, and we provide the answers.
- Cost of the system. System and installation prices can range from $10,000 to $40,000 with bigger more complex projects that can stretch over $45,000. The cost will always vary depending on aspects such as the type of loop system being installed, the conditions of your soil, or how much excavation work is needed. It’s always important to talk to a professional like our experts at Suntech to help determine the cost. Prices can appear very steep, but there are financial incentives that make the price tag sting a bit less.
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- Tax incentives. Tax credits can include credits worth almost 30 percent of home installation costs for Energy Star-qualified systems. Credits such as these are available through 2032.
- Rebates – Additional discounts can come from entities like your utility company or local/state governments. These can provide incentives based on items like the income from the household.
If you require additional options when it comes to a geothermal system installation, there is no need to worry. Suntech can provide financing options for any sort of emergency when it comes to your systems.
Why Choose Suntech
What makes Suntech stand out from the other guys? Our geothermal installers provide only the best service available. We make strides to meet the demands and needs of our customers. Here is what we bring to the table:
- 24/7 emergency services
- No after-hour service fees
- 30-day service guarantee
- 30+ years experience
The Takeaway
Colder weather is an eventuality and your furnace may not be ready to fight against it. Our expert geothermal installers will be able to provide ideal service when it comes to getting your installation prepped and ready and efficiently getting a new heat pump system in place before that cold hits.
We are ready to tackle any size project, be it in your existing home or a brand-new building, and guarantee complete satisfaction. In need of a heat pump installation? Suntech is available 24/7 to provide the highest quality service. Schedule a service appointment today!
