Geothermal vs Conventional Heating and Cooling
When your geothermal system is
installed and operating, you have a fully integrated, single-source home energy system. There is no tank to fill and only one energy bill to pay. A single unit provides both heating and cooling. And, you have the peace of mind that comes from a totally combustion-free home.
Savings Intro
To compare heating systems (apples to apples) you need a common
denominator. We have choosen to use "1 million BTUs"
because many homes use between 45,000 - 85,000 BTUs per hour on a very
cold winter day, which is just over a million BTUs per day (about
125,000,000 BTUs per year).
Because each system uses a different
fuel type we need
to
know how many BTUs a unit of fuel contains (A). Then,
using efficiency ratings of each system (B), you can calculate
the number of
units
required to create 1 million BTUs (C), which is
used to compare costs (see calculator/next tab).
| |
|
A |
B |
C |
Fuel Type |
Fuel Unit |
BTU/Unit |
Heating System
Efficiency |
Units Required
1 million BTU |
#2 Fuel Oil |
|
|
|
|
Natural Gas |
Therm |
100,000 |
65%
78%
84%
92% |
16.7
14.3
12.5
11.1 |
Propane |
Gallon |
90,000 |
65%
78%
84%
92% |
17.5
15.0
13.1
11.6 |
Electric
Baseboard |
kWh |
3,413 |
100% |
293 |
Air Source
Heat Pump |
kWh |
3,413 |
293 / 2.5 COP (Warm Climate)
293 / 1.8 COP (Cold Climate) |
117.20
162.78 |
Geothermal Heat Pump |
kWh |
3,413 |
293 / 3.9 COP (Warm Climate)
293 / 3.4 COP (Cold Climate)
293 / 4.2 COP (Hydronic) |
75.13
86.18
69.76 |
Heat Pump efficiency is measured as Coefficient of Performance (COP).
For instance a baseboard electric heater has a COP of 1 (it is 100% efficient).
Geothermal Heat Pumps in the Northeast have COPs of 3.4 or higher (depending
on system design and performance).
How to Use This Calculator
To generate 1,000,000
BTUs simply
enter the units required and the cost per unit of fuel.
| Type of Fuel |
Units Required
per M
From Col C (previous tab) |
Price per Gallon
of Fuel or kWh
|
|
Cost per Million
BTUs ($) |
