By Lauren Reeg, Mike Henchen, Chris Potter, Chris Stone
A time-tested clean heating and cooling technology with untapped potential.
The age of the electric heat pump is well underway. This clean heating and cooling technology has been in use for decades and is widely adopted across Asia and parts of Europe such as Norway where heat pumps heat and cool 60 percent of its buildings. However, it's only recently that advances in its technology have spurred more home and building owners in the United States to realize the outsized economic, health, and climate benefits of going electric.
Today, the heat pump market is booming. Sales in Europe last year rose to a record high with a 37 percent increase from 2021. In the United States, heat pump sales outpaced gas furnaces for the first time in decades. With new tax credits and upfront rebates in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA the climate bill passed in 2022), the stage is set for further ramping up equitable building electrification. One key technology that has received less attention but has untapped potential to bring the immense benefits of clean heating and cooling to millions of people is the geothermal heat pump, also commonly referred to as a ground-source heat pump.
Geothermal Heat Pumps: The Basics
A geothermal heat pump is a clean, renewable technology that helps a home or building stay comfortable in any season. It harnesses the constant temperature below the earth's surface to provide heating, cooling, and often hot water. Since geothermal is an abundant and renewable resource just beneath our feet, geothermal heat pumps are considered some of the most efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly HVAC and water-heating systems available. And because heat pumps simply move heat and don't rely on combustion, like a gas furnace or water heater, they can reduce energy costs by up to 50 percent and produce zero direct emissions that contribute to air pollution and climate change.
