Yearly Cost & Environmental Emissions
of Geothermal H&C vs Other Sources
There are two types of general costs regarding your Heating & Cooling systems;
> INSTALLATION costs (cost of buying the equipment and having it installed and started)
and
> OPERATING costs (cost to run the system)
> INSTALLATION costs (cost of buying the equipment and having it installed and started)
and
> OPERATING costs (cost to run the system)
As for INSTALLATION costs:
When figuring the cost of installing heating and cooling equipment it's important to remember that with a heat pump (geothermal or air-to-air) you only need ONE system to do BOTH heating and cooling. No other HVAC system can do BOTH with ONE system.
Propane, Natural Gas, Fuel Oil, and Wood Burners can only HEAT your home; they can NOT
COOL your home. To get cooling, you would need to purchase a second system for
air conditioning (electric is your only option).
You can, however, both HEAT and COOL your home with Electricity, but it would be done with TWO different systems; air conditioner for cooling(with the big condensing box sitting outside in the elements) and an electric heater (such as baseboard) for heating.
Only a heat pump does BOTH heating and cooling with ONE system. Why? Because a heat pump has a REVERSING VALVE which reverses the system from heating to cooling when you press the appropriate button on your thermostat.
So in the end, when trying to compare installation costs, the price of the heat pump is for a COMPLETE HVAC system. If you choose to heat with one of the other methods, you need to add the cost of your heating system AND the cost of your cooling system.
OPERATING Costs:
The table below lists different sources of heating and their estimated OPERATING cost per year.
(The graph on the right shows both the cost and the C02 emissions of each heating source)
Please Note: Energy prices are based on 2009 energy costs, graphic supplied by Phoenix Energy Supply.
When figuring the cost of installing heating and cooling equipment it's important to remember that with a heat pump (geothermal or air-to-air) you only need ONE system to do BOTH heating and cooling. No other HVAC system can do BOTH with ONE system.
Propane, Natural Gas, Fuel Oil, and Wood Burners can only HEAT your home; they can NOT
COOL your home. To get cooling, you would need to purchase a second system for
air conditioning (electric is your only option).
You can, however, both HEAT and COOL your home with Electricity, but it would be done with TWO different systems; air conditioner for cooling(with the big condensing box sitting outside in the elements) and an electric heater (such as baseboard) for heating.
Only a heat pump does BOTH heating and cooling with ONE system. Why? Because a heat pump has a REVERSING VALVE which reverses the system from heating to cooling when you press the appropriate button on your thermostat.
So in the end, when trying to compare installation costs, the price of the heat pump is for a COMPLETE HVAC system. If you choose to heat with one of the other methods, you need to add the cost of your heating system AND the cost of your cooling system.
OPERATING Costs:
The table below lists different sources of heating and their estimated OPERATING cost per year.
(The graph on the right shows both the cost and the C02 emissions of each heating source)
Please Note: Energy prices are based on 2009 energy costs, graphic supplied by Phoenix Energy Supply.
