Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems

Request a free estimate today to learn how a geothermal heating & cooling system can significantly benefit your family or business.

Earth River Geothermal

Thanks for visiting our site. Located in Annapolis and serving Central Maryland, Earth River Geothermal is your locally-owned, full-service geothermal heating and cooling systems provider.

If you have been thinking about how a geothermal HVAC system would work for you, whether your personal priority is saving money, creating a more comfortable home, or saving energy, Geothermal is the way to go! In fact, there has never been a better time to use a geothermal heating and cooling system to more efficiently heat and cool your home or business. Historic federal, state, and local geothermal incentives are in place that can significantly offset the cost of installing a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Ground-source geothermal heating and air conditioning systems are “the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective space-conditioning system available”

– Environmental Protection Agency

The economic benefit of harnessing geothermal energy is clear. A ground-source geothermal heat pump is the most energy-efficient heating and cooling technology available and it can cut your energy bills in half. Learn more about geothermal heating and cooling costs versus conventional HVAC systems.

Under current federal law, there is a 30% federal geothermal tax credit for residential geothermal installations with no upper limit. The State of Maryland provides Maryland geothermal heat pump grants of up to $3,000 for residential geothermal heat pumps and up to $7,000 for commercial geothermal systems. What’s more, there are new local incentives such as Anne Arundel County’s geothermal property tax credit of up to $2,500. When these geothermal energy tax credits and grants are coupled with the most energy-efficient heating and cooling system on the market, your renewable energy investment can pay dividends with a payback period of as little as 5 years, depending on the type of HVAC system being replaced.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling Cost

The combined price of a geothermal heat pump and geothermal installation rivals that of conventional heating and cooling systems. Read “Geothermal Heat Pump Cost Comparison” to see how geothermal systems fare when compared to conventional electric resistance heat pumps, air-source heat pumps, natural gas, propane, and fuel oil heating and air conditioning systems:

Geothermal Heat Pump Cost Comparison

Energy Efficient

“If geothermal heat pumps were installed nationwide, they could save several billion dollars annually in energy costs and substantially reduce pollution.”

– U.S. Government Accountability Office

Environmentally Friendly

“Geothermal heating and air conditioning systems are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective space-conditioning system available.”

– Environmental Protection Agency

Low Operating Costs

“Geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption—and corresponding emissions—by as much as 44 percent compared with air source heat pumps and by as much as 72 percent compared with electric resistance heating (and oil and propane furnaces) and standard air-conditioning equipment.”

– Environmental Protection Agency

Don’t forget to request a risk-free estimate today from Earth River Geothermal. We will provide you with a complementary geothermal heating and cooling system installation estimate as well as a comprehensive geothermal cost savings analysis.

Geothermal Heating and Air Conditioning in Maryland

Read this great article about Geothermal Heating and Cooling in Maryland. It also chronicles Earth River Geothermal’s installation of the Martin family’s geothermal HVAC system in Annapolis, Maryland.

Why should I choose a geothermal heat pump system in Maryland?

The subterranean geothermal temperature in Maryland is a steady 57° Fahrenheit, 365 days per year. This baseline temperature is ideal for both geothermal heating and geothermal cooling.
Geothermal pumps return up to $5 worth of heat for every $1 spent on electricity.

Why should I make the switch to geothermal sooner than later?

Energy prices are rising and heating and cooling costs account for up to two-thirds of a household’s energy bill; geothermal systems can help cut your energy bill in half.
Generous federal, state, and local geothermal tax credits and grants enacted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are set to expire in 2016.

Geothermal Heat Pump Lifespan

Geothermal systems can have a payback period of as little as 5 years. On average, modern geothermal heating and cooling systems have a lifespan of 24 years. Furthermore, geothermal ground loop piping is warrantied by the manufacturer for 50 years and is essentially an energy legacy for the property. The efficiency of the equipment installed by Earth River Geothermal is certified under the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy’s Energy Star® program. With a long system life and less maintenance, overall life cycle costs are much lower with geothermal systems.

Geothermal System Benefits

Lower Operating Cost – Seventy-five percent of the energy produced by geothermal systems comes from the ground beneath your property, which has a stable temperature of 57° Fahrenheit. Taking full advantage of this clean energy source makes sense. The cost of a geothermal heating and cooling system is generally recovered in energy savings within a few years.

Enhanced Comfort – Geothermal Systems deliver consistent temperatures that are much warmer in the winter than conventional air-source heat pumps. When cooling, a geothermal unit delivers cool, dehumidified air.

Quiet – Unlike ordinary air conditioners and heat pumps, there is no noisy outdoor unit. Geothermal heat pumps are designed for quiet operation similar to your refrigerator.

Contact Earth River Geothermal Today!

Earth River Geothermal has been serving communities throughout Central Maryland since 2007 by designing and installing geothermal HVAC systems. We are your locally-owned, full-service, and accredited geothermal heating & air conditioning contractor. We are committed to helping Maryland families and businesses maximize their energy savings by installing the most energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling systems. We are grateful for our customers’ feedback. Please read our Maryland Geothermal Heat Pump Reviews page to see what our Maryland customers have to say about their experience working with Earth River Geothermal. Receive a risk-free and complementary geothermal heat pump installation estimate along with a comprehensive energy savings analysis today. We welcome you to join our growing list of satisfied customers who are already saving on their utility bills.

[Image: Earth River Geothermal - Geothermal Heating and Cooling - Annapolis, Maryland]

Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems

An earth-coupled HVAC system is packed with "Earth Friendly" benefits, especially when compared with any other type of air-conditioning and heating system. As heating and cooling systems go, a ground sourced system comes closest to the way Mother Nature would heat and cool your home if given the opportunity. That's because with geothermal, your house becomes coupled with the Earth beneath, sharing that temperature with your environmentally friendly geothermal heat pump, similar to the way the roots of trees share nutrients with their branches and leaves. Take a look at some of the environmental benefits you can enjoy with a geothermal system:

Reduction in use of chemical refrigerants (geothermal usually has no refrigerant lines to the outside; just closed-loop water pipes underground) [Image: Geothermal good for Earth Day and Environment]

[Image: Geothermal good for Earth Day and Environment]

Elimination of combustion-related heating in the home (earth is the energy source; the sun replenishes warmth seasonally and continually, providing a truly renewable heating source). Fundamentally, geothermal heating is no different than solar heating. Earth is the great big solar collector, and we can tap into that heat all year long (with or without solar collectors). A better answer! Enabling the use of waste heat from the compressor for Domestic Hot Water (instead of exhausting it to outside air in the summertime) further reducing environmental impacts relating to combustion or electric heating of domestic water. Reduced electrical consumption compared to other heating and cooling systems (resulting in fewer emissions from power plants) Reduced Noise Pollution (from outside equipment cycling noises and distractions) From an April 2nd news report, US Navy officials reported, “Over the past several years, Northwest Navy installations have completed many projects that improved the efficiency and reliability of utility systems that support operations at each installation. Such projects include upgrading lighting fixtures, renovations to bachelor living quarters, utilizing ground source or geothermal heating and cooling systems (emphasis added), and adjusting thermostats and air-conditioning.

"Improving energy efficiency is closely tied to our mission success. Not only is it better for our budget and the environment (emphasis added), but it also helps us, in the long run, to safeguard the future of our mission to support the Fleet, the Fighter and their Families," said Commander, Navy Region Northwest Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar. "I'm proud of what Team Northwest has achieved so far and look forward to the day we reach our goal.

In an April 3rd news report, a Ball State University representative responded to questions about the heating and cooling alternatives for the campus. “We certainly looked at coal-fired again with all kinds of emission control equipment and so forth," said Jim Lowe, Director of Engineering & Construction Management. "We also looked at all-natural gas, but actually deferred away from natural gas, which seems ironic when you think about it. It's cheap, but it's so volatile.” “Going to geothermal, by far, was the best approach - not just financially, but for the environmental impact (emphasis added) and the longevity of the system as well,” Lowe said. Geothermal HVAC systems are the unexploited frontier of the green movement, and quite literally the foundation for green buildings. Geothermal HVAC systems don’t get much press. You can’t see them (because the equipment is all inside), you can’t hear them; the classic “out of sight–out of mind” scenario. And earth coupled HVAC systems remove up to four times the energy consumption from the electrical grid per dollar spent than photovoltaics add to the electrical grid per dollar spent,* giving "Geo" a better ROI (Return On Investment). Going “Green” usually denotes reduction of energy consumption and related costs, whether fossil fuel or all-electric. The more peak load we can take off of the electrical grid, the fewer power plants we need. According to a McGraw-Hill Construction study released on November 13, 2013, at the International Summit at the Green Build Conference and Expo in San Francisco, "Green building has become a long-term business opportunity with 51% of study firms planning more than 60% of their work to be green by 2015, up from 28% of firms in 2012." The United States Environmental Protection Agency lauds, “Ground source heating and cooling can be done almost anywhere in the United States using a geothermal heat pump, a highly efficient renewable energy technology that takes advantage of the constant temperature of the earth beneath the surface. The heat pump transfers heat stored in the Earth or in groundwater into a building during the winter and transfers it out of the building and back into the ground during the summer. In other words, the ground acts as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer. Applications of this technology are for space heating and cooling and hot water”