Yes! Congress passed a revised tax credit for homeowners who install geothermal units. The tax credit covers new installations and the replacement of existing geothermal units. Most utility cooperates offer rebates, as well. 

Ground source heat pumps are some of the most efficient residential heating and cooling systems available today, with heating efficiency 50 to 70% higher than other heating systems and cooling efficiency 20 to 40% higher than available air conditioners. That directly translates into savings for you on your utility bills.

Yes. A geothermal system can be a combination of heating/cooling and hot water heating system. You can change from one mode to another with a simple flick on your indoor thermostat. Using a desuperheater, some geothermal systems can save you up to 50% on your water-heating bill by preheating tank water.

Using what is called a desuperheater, geothermal units turn waste heat to the task of heating hot water. During the summer, when the system is in cooling mode, your hot water is produced free as a byproduct of the thermal process. In winter, with the heating mode, the desuperheater heats a portion of your hot water. Desuperheaters are standard on some units, and optional on others. Stand-alone systems that will heat water all year around can be purchased.

A geothermal system moves warm air (90-105(F) throughout your home or business via standard ductwork. An even comfort level is created because the warm air is moved in slightly higher volumes and saturates the building with warmth more evenly. This helps even out hot or cold spots and eliminates the cold air blasts common with fossil fuel furnaces.

The initial investment for a geothermal system is greater than that of a conventional system. However, when you consider the operating costs of a geothermal heating, cooling, and water heating system, energy savings quickly offset the initial difference in the purchase price.

Most units are easy to install, especially when they are replacing another forced-air system. This is known as a retrofit. Geothermal heat pumps can be installed in areas unsuitable for fossil fuel furnaces because there is no combustion and thus no need to vent exhaust fumes. Ductwork must be installed in homes without an existing air distribution system. Butler Heating and Air can assess the cost of installing ductwork.

Trenches are spaced four to five feet apart, while boreholes are spaced ten to fifteen feet apart.

In regards to a horizontal system, this depends on soil conditions, length and depth of pipe, and equipment required. A typical installation can be completed in one or two days. For a vertical installation, time varies with conditions on the site such as type and depth of the overburden, type and hardness of the bedrock, and the presence of aquifers. Typical drilling times are one or two days; total installation can usually be accomplished in two days.

Horizontal installations are simpler, requiring lower-cost equipment. However, they require longer lengths of pipe due to seasonal variations in soil temperature and moisture content. Since a horizontal heat exchanger is laid out in trenches, a larger area is usually required than for a vertical system. Where land is limited, vertical installations or a compact Slinky horizontal installation can be ideal. If regional soil conditions include extensive hard rock, a vertical installation may be the only available choice. Vertical installations tend to be more expensive due to the increased cost of drilling versus trenching, but since the heat exchanger is buried deeper than with a horizontal system, vertical systems are usually more efficient and can get by with less total pipe. Butler Heating and Air will be able to help you decide which configuration best meets your specific needs.

Currently, installed systems are making a huge difference in our environment! The systems are eliminating more than three million tons of carbon dioxide, and is equivalent to taking 650,000 automobiles off the road. Geothermal systems conserve energy and, because they move heat that already exists rather than burning something to create heat, they reduce the number of toxic emissions in the atmosphere. They use renewable energy from the sun, and because the system doesn't rely on outside air, it keeps the air inside of buildings cleaner and free of pollen, outdoor pollutants, mold spores, and other allergens.

No. Research has shown that loops have no adverse effects on grass, trees, or shrubs. Most horizontal installations require trenches about six inches wide. Temporary bare areas can be restored with grass seed or sod. Vertical loops require little space and do not damage lawns significantly.

Not at all. The system is installed deep enough that it utilizes constant ground temperatures.

Yes. Called dual systems, they can easily be added to existing furnaces for those wishing to have a dual-fuel heating system. Dual-fuel systems use the geothermal system as the main heating source and a fossil fuel furnace as a supplement in extremely cold weather should additional heat be needed.