Whether you are heating or cooling your home, you use a lot of energy. One solution that can help to reduce the cost of heating and cooling is geothermal energy solutions. This technology can be enhanced with solar thermal heating, which has energy that can be stored for home heating during the times of the year that you are using your heating. These hybrid systems can greatly reduce your heating costs and give you more savings from your geothermal system. Here are four things that you will want to know about having a hybrid system installed for your home:

1. Choosing The Type Of Ground Loop Systems

The geothermal aspect of your system will need to have a ground loop. This is a circuit of pipe that collects energy from the ground. You can have the loop installed vertically, or have it installed horizontally depending on the amount of space you have. There are even newer systems that can use a ground loop along the fence line of your home and a thermal collector integrated into the fence for your home.

2. Storage For Solar Thermal Energy

With solar thermal systems, you may also want to consider thermal energy storage. This can allow you to store energy from the sun all year, and use it only when you need your heating during the coldest months. It can help increase the efficiency of your system, and give you available thermal energy even on days when solar energy is not available. The thermal storage can be done with tanks in your home, or it can be done with a closed ground loop that is separate from your geothermal system.

3. Solar Collectors For Thermal Energy

There are also many different types of solar collectors that you can have installed for heating. The most common type of solar thermal heating is evacuated tubes, which are glass tubes that heat water in a copper tube that is in the center. They are the best choice for homes that are in colder climates. There are also collectors that are more like circuits that have water flowing through them, which can be part of a fence, or a array of solar collectors on a roof top.

4. Choosing The Best Materials For Your System

Choosing the right materials for your system is also important. You want to make sure that the materials that things like solar collectors and ground loops are rated to last for many years in harsh conditions. You will generally want to avoid plastic material and cheap DIY kits that will only last for a few years. The more life you get out of your system, the more savings it will provide your for your investment.

These are some of the things that you may want to know about a hybrid solar and geothermal HVAC system. If you want to improve the heating and cooling in your home with one of these systems, contact an HVAC contractor and ask them about these technologies.

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