Geothermal Energy
SOCIETY BENEFITS
Individuals can become more self-sufficient. Reduced CO2, NOx & SO2 emissionsECONOMY BENEFITS
After installation costs, the cost of heating your home by electricity is reduced by around a third.ENVIROMENTAL BENEFITS
Even if powered by mains electricity, the environmental impact is one-third with the use of a heat-pump.USEFUL LINKS
Advice
A geothermal system is where large amounts 'low quality' heat is taken from the ground and concentrated into a smaller amount 'high quality' heat.
Heat is extracted from the ground by either a slinky system or from water in a bore-hole. There are other methods and an expert would help you decide the best method for your situation.
The 'low quality' heat is then extracted using a heat-pump which uses one unit of electricity to extract three (or more) units of 'high quality' heat. This heat is then used for either space heating or domestic hot water.
A geothermal energy system is can be quite an undertaken for installation and quite a cost. However it is fast becoming a mature technology and will bring significant financial and CO2 savings. Until the cost of carbon is truely recognised in the fuel bills, then it will take a very long time to pay off the installation of a geothermal installation.
Other Sustainable Considerations
The system can only be considered truely renewable if the electricity running the heat pump is also from a renewable device such as wind turbines or photovoltaics, or even a Good green energy tariff.
