About five years ago, my husband and I built a home in Lakeland, Florida.
The process was extremely time-consuming, stressful and yet rewarding.
We were able to customize everything about the house to our priorities and preferences. However, this meant a lot of research and big decisions. Choosing everything from windows and roofing materials to plumbing fixtures was difficult. One of the biggest debates was over what type of temperature control system to install. Living in Lakeland, air conditioning is the main focus. We rely on cooling for the majority of the year and deal with temperatures in the nineties on a regular basis. High humidity is a constant problem. Heating is rarely necessary, but we didn’t want to go without it. We considered all different options and finally chose a geothermal heat pump. Although the purchase and installation costs of geothermal heating and cooling is significantly higher than more conventional methods, the system has paid for itself in energy savings in under five years. The geothermal heat pump actually produces four units of energy for every unit required to operate the equipment, achieving a 400% efficiency rating. We spend about 50% less on air conditioning than with a conventional system. The operation simply moves heat between the home and the ground. In cooling mode, it pulls heat out of the house and transfers it into the ground. In heating mode, it takes advantage of free heat, available underground and delivers it indoors. The process is safe, clean, quiet and wonderfully environmentally friendly. Plus, the geothermal heat pump offers virtually free hot water.