Did you know that every 55 days, the Earth absorbs as much solar energy (heat) as all the known oil and gas reserves in the world?  Geothermal heat pumps allow us to harness this clean, free, energy source to reduce our demand on fossil fuels while reducing our energy costs.  Geothermal heat pumps are among the most energy- and cost-efficient heating and cooling systems available today. They use less electricity and produce fewer emissions than conventional systems, reduce air and water pollution, and provide a comfortable indoor environment for building occupants. Nearly 500,000 geothermal heat pumps are being used today for heating and cooling throughout the United States in residential, commercial, and government buildings.

Achieving the present market penetration level of nearly 500,000 GHP installations reduces U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by over 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. In a landmark technical report (source: “Space Conditioning: The Next Frontier,” EPA 430-R-93-004, April 1993), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that GHPs are the most energy efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space-conditioning systems available. The EPA also found that GHPs offer the lowest carbon dioxide emissions and lowest overall environmental cost of all the residential space-conditioning technology readily available today. The few emissions that are released occur at the power plant, where they are carefully monitored and controlled.

For every 100,000 homes with geothermal systems, our foreign oil consumption is reduced by 2.15 million barrels each year.  There are now more than 1,000,000 homes with geothermal systems installed in the U.S., these installations have eliminated more than 5.8 million metric tons of CO2 pollution annually.  Geothermal systems produce “0” on site emissions as well as eliminating fuel used by oil delivery trucks.  With Maine’s potential for clean electricity from wind, solar, hydro, fuel cell, and nuclear power, geothermal systems will continue to be the environmentally friendly heating system of choice indefinitely.

Other examples of Geothermal energy being environmentally responsible are:

• Resource Conservation | Geothermal can help diminish the U.S. dependency on foreign power sources
• Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Reduction | Geothermal energy can help reduce the damage to our ozone
• Human Health and Comfort | The effect of Geothermal energy in aspect to the health benefits for residents
• Case Study of Fort Polk Army Base | A look at Geothermal energy as used at Fort Polk