Manufacturers shipped a third more geothermal heat pumps in 2006 than in 2005. We're still waiting on the numbers for 2007, but it's expected that they'll continue rising significantly. In 2005, manufacturers sold 47,830 units, and in 2006 they sold 63,682, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Many sellers don't call their products geothermal pumps, though. According to a post from Consumer Reports, Mark Morelli of Air Connection, Inc. said that the name confused buyers. "Geothermal had always been the name for our earth-energy process, and it was confusing because everyone was expecting to see hot water coming out of the ground. Then my company shifted to calling it a 'GeoExchange' system, but ‘earth energy’ makes it easier for people to relate to what we do." Morelli reported this month that his business has boomed in the last year.

There are a wide variety of geothermal heat pump manufacturers, including a number with Energy Star-rated systems. Those with systems on that list include Bryant, Carrier Corporation, ClimateMaster, ECONAR, ECR Technologies, Enertech Manufacturing, FHP Manufacturing, Heat Controller Inc., Hydro Delta Corporation, Loop Group, McQuay International, Northern Heat Pump, Rittling, Trane, and WaterFurnace International.

Home owners are beginning to consider geothermal heat pumps as options for heating and cooling houses. Typically, such a unit will cost between two and four times as much to purchase and install as a conventional (oil or natural gas) heating-and-cooling system. But geothermal pumps can pay for themselves in a few years. By pulling air from underground (a year round temperature of around 55 degrees), they  can reduce a household's heating and cooling costs by 35 to 70 percent in a given year.

Solar panels remain more popular than geothermal pumps, at least for the moment. That's due at least partially to the many rebates and tax incentives available to anyone who chooses to install a solar system. The geothermal industry has started lobbying to get their own incentives, but the process is slow-going. It's a tough position: business is booming for geothermal pump manufacturers and installers, but it could increase even more if government agencies put the industry on the same footing as solar energy.

There are other factors that make more intensive lobbying and marketing efforts mandatory for the geothermal industry. For both home and business owners looking to install solar panels, there are a number of financial tools now available. Power purchase agreements and energy efficiency mortgages make it relatively easy to buy solar power. There are far more limited options to consumers looking to buy geothermal pumps.

Geothermal heat pump manufacturers are facing another problem: currently, most systems rely on petroleum-based polyethylene pipes. Rising oil costs have made geothermal systems more expensive, so they may need to switch to alternative materials for the pipes to bring down the cost.

Photo — John Brownlow