Geothermal heating, which utilizes the earth’s ground temperature, is gaining popularity throughout the U.S., and though its installation costs are high, many advocates say homeowners profit in the long run.
In Olean, David Padlo of Dugan Road recently had a closed-loop geothermal system installed, and he says he couldn’t be happier - or warmer.
A closed-loop geothermal system works this way:
Several “slinkies” — hundreds of feet of coiled piping — are buried throughout the property in trenches six feet deep, where ground temperatures remain around 55 degrees. Running through the interconnected pipe system is a water and glycerol (antifreeze) mixture, which heats to the ground’s temperature. When supply tanks for the mixture are running low, the 55-degree liquid is brought to the heat pump that warms it to around 120 degrees.
If a chilly homeowner cranks up the heat on the thermostat, the heated mixture is pumped from the tanks through tubing installed into the floor boards. These “warm boards” are a little more than an inch thick with a very thin sheet of aluminum. The mixture warms the boards, and the house heats from the floor up.
The whole system doesn’t require any fuel but runs entirely on electricity.
An open-loop geothermal system isn’t as common and requires a large supply of clean, underground water and appropriate drainage. The ground water is pumped into the heating unit, where it is heated to 120 degrees and circulated through the piping. The house warms up and the water is pumped back into a drainage area, such as a pond or drainfield.