Geothermal Heat Flux Vs. Solar Insulation

Geothermal Heat

• The word “geothermal” consists of the Greek words “geo” and “therme,” which translate into “earth heat.” Below the earth’s surface, ground temperatures average around 50 degrees F throughout the year, regardless of the changing seasons. Geothermal heat systems use a heat pump device that transfers heat from the ground into a liquid material. Using underground pipe structures, the heated liquid material transfers heat to an above-ground building or home. In effect, these systems employ a heat flux method that uses the earth’s heat as a fuel source for home heating purposes.

Solar Heat

• The light from the sun carries a form of heat known as solar energy. In effect, solar energy turns into heat upon making contact with exposed surfaces. Heat’s natural tendency to move from warm to cool areas within a room or building forms the basis for the insulating effects created by solar heating systems. Once heat reaches different areas or spaces, it then moves through the objects and materials in a room through a process known as conduction. Solar heating systems can actively circulate warm arm throughout a house or passively create an insulating effect using reflector materials attached to window and wall surfaces.

Main vs. Supplemental Systems

• When comparing geothermal heat flux versus solar insulation effects, system designs function differently within a home or building’s overall heating operations. Geothermal systems involve the installation of pipes underneath a home’s structure, so these systems can operate as a home’s main heating source. Solar energy-based systems typically function as supplemental systems, since sunlight exposures can vary from region to region and season to season. Passive solar systems make due with available sunlight, but still help in reducing a home’s overall energy costs. Active solar systems may incorporate fans for air circulation, heat-storing materials, such as ceramic insulators, and reflector surfaces to increase a home’s insulating effects.

Set-Up & Costs

• Initial investment costs for setting up geothermal heating systems versus solar heating systems can vary considerably and so can the payoffs. The costs for installing a geothermal system can easily run $20,000 or more depending on the size of the lot and the condition of the soil, at the time of publicaton. The cost for installing a solar energy system depends on a home or building’s square footage and can anywhere range from $30 to $80 per square foot. In terms of payoff potential, data gathered by the Air Force Institute of Technology shows a geothermal system can pay for itself within seven to eight years through recouped heating costs. As solar energy systems mainly function as supplemental heating sources, these systems work to reduce existing heating costs. Cost savings for solar energy systems can range anywhere from $400 to $700 a year depending on local heating costs and regional climate.