Geothermal heat pumps (aka ground-source) use the relatively stable and consistent temperature of the earth to achieve incredible efficiencies and great reliability. We highly recommend Earthlinked Brand (http://www.earthlinked.com/) geothermal systems for both homeowners and standalone businesses that wish to upgrade to the highest possible efficiency or for those that wish to save money on their utility bills well into the foreseeable future.
Geothermal systems can be used for heating and cooling with forced air, domestic hot water, low-temp hydronic heating systems, and snowmelt applications. They can also be used in conjunction with conventional furnaces and water heating systems to create dual-fuel scenarios that help to make geothermal a nearly universal tool for reducing utility bills. How does it work? For starters, we are used to getting heat from burning things like natural gas in a furnace or boiler, or by using electricity like in a hairdryer. However, we are used to getting cool from an air conditioner or a refrigerator. Well have you ever felt the air behind your refrigerator? It is pretty hot isn’t it? Air conditioners and refrigerators use gases called “refrigerants” and a compressor to move the heat from inside the place you want cool and put it elsewhere. A “heat pump” is just an air conditioner working backwards. It doesn’t make heat; it just moves it from outside to inside.
As an added bonus they use a “reversing valve” to give your normal old air conditioner when you need it. WOW what will they think of next! Actually its an old idea and has been in common use in other parts of the country for more than thirty years! Geothermal heat pumps simply exchange heat with the ground rather than with the air outside (like standard air-source heat pumps do). The ground temperature around Denver stays between 50 and 55 degrees F year-round. That is much easier to work with than the air temperature which swings from -10 to 100 degrees F over the course of a year. This translates to greatly increased efficiency and lower utility bills than either air-source heat pumps or 95% efficient natural gas furnaces. In short, this is why geothermal heat pumps are the best choice for Colorado!
