Heating costs were a serious problem for customers this past winter. According to Chris Christopher of IHS Global Insight and many other economists, customers are going to be even more concerned about rising heating costs in the next couple years. These customers may want to consider switching to alternate forms of heating, such as geothermal energy.
Why is Geothermal Heating a Viable Alternative?
A recent report from Navigant predicts that the market for geothermal heat pumps is expected to increase 200% over the next 6 years. There are a number of reasons that many consumers are turning to geothermal heating. Here are some advantages that you should consider.
Higher Efficiency
Geothermal heating is 200 times more efficient than using fossil fuels to heat a home. The standard furnace needs about 2.3 KwH to create 12,000 BTU of heat energy. This allows consumers to save 30-70% on heating costs.
Sustainable Energy
Another advantage of geothermal heating is that it is a renewable form of energy. People can be independent from problems with oil, coal and other forms of energy. This will make geothermal heating even more attractive as OPEC continues to create stricter quotas and the world nears peak oil capacity.
Environmental Benefits
Another benefit of renewable energy is that it is much better for the environment. More people are becoming environmentally conscious. You may not feel the incremental benefits to the economy will affect you personally, but this illustrates why society in general should start moving towards geothermal heating and other forms of clean energy. China is dealing with record levels of pollution that is causing serious health problems. America and many other regions throughout the world may face similar issues as the population continues to expand, unless they start to become more reliant on green energy.
Longer Lifetimes
The average geothermal heating system will last for 50 years, while most other heating systems only last for 8. This will save you the cost and hassle of needing to continually replace your heating system over time. The cost of installation is a bit higher, but it is still more than worthwhile if you can get away with it six times less often.
Consider Shifting Towards Geothermal Heating
You may have been skeptical about shifting towards using geothermal heating. However, it is becoming a more popular option as many people become disgruntled with high heating costs and become more concerned about the environment. Geothermal pumps have already been installed in 20,000 of the 320,000 households in Finland. They are likely to become even more popular in the United States in the years to come, especially as the cost of heating continues to soar.
You may want to consider purchasing a geothermal heat pump as well. You may be able to shave half your heating costs.