Whether building a new home or updating a current system, Washington Electric Cooperative encourages members to consider a geothermal heat pump system.
Working in harmony with the earth and the sun, geothermal is a highly energy efficient way to provide for your home's heating and cooling needs. The concept is simple. A high-strength pipe made of thermal plastic is buried in the ground in a loop configuration. A closed loop is filled with an environmentally safe water/antifreeze solution that transfers heat to or from the earth as needed. The same principle applies for an open loop that taps into a well, and then discharges the water once it has been used. The closed-loop system is virtually maintenance-free, with a life expectancy of more than 50 years!
During both summer and winter, some of the heat being moved is diverted and put to good use in your backyard to heat about 35 percent of your hot water - for free. Most homeowners realize a substantial savings from this extra benefit. With a geothermal system, the source of your heating and cooling is free. The only energy required is the electricity needed to operate the geothermal unit. That’s why the geothermal system is 300 to 400 percent energy efficient, returning $3 to $4 work of heating or cooling for every dollar of electricity put into it. Compare that to the 98 percent efficiency of most modern natural gas, propane, or fuel oil furnace, or even 200 percent plus efficiency of electric air-source heat pumps.
Washington Electric Cooperative offers a $600 rebate on newly installed geothermal systems that meet program requirements. Visit our rebates page or contact our Member Services Department for more details.
