The Story

The concept of GeothermalGenius started in 2008 after one family's experiences with alternative energy. Over the past few years the GeothermalGenius team has grown significantly to include some of the smartest engineers in the industry as well as the best internet guru's available.

Go Green Go Solar, Right?

Solar was always the dream, complete energy independence; however the enormous initial cost made us hesitant. With the ridiculous price of college tuition staring us in the face $100,000 in solar panels didn't seem realistic.

We stumbled upon geothermal heat pumps, although we had never heard of it before we were intrigued. "50%-70% Savings" some resources claimed - could this really be true? How did it work? If it really worked why didn't we know about it before?

Is it a Science Project or a Mainstream Solution?

After weeks of reading, calling industry professionals, talking with geothermal customers, and 8 quotes on our own home we were more confused than when we started. Some told us that geothermal just simply didn't work, the technology was flawed. Some told us it was amazing, they'd be doing it for 20 years.

We had quotes in front of us which were all over the board. Differing system sizes, $15,000 differences in prices, quotes hand written on notebook paper, what the heck was going on here? Most at this point would have installed that high efficiency gas furnace and moved on but for us it began a quest for answers which took us a lot further than most.

From Novice to Accredited Geothermal Installer

After years of studying geothermal technology, the industry, being accredited by the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, joining industry organizations as a contractor, seeing hundreds of examples, and meeting hundreds of industry professionals we finally were confident in proceeding with our own installation. We installed geothermal in the summer of 2009 - it worked, continues to perform today with no issues and it will pay for itself in 6 years (since we no longer purchase propane or heating oil).

Our neighbors all watched the system installation and were curious of the results. We served as the guinea pig, but once neighbors realized the technology really worked they were quickly sold. Our neighborhood will soon no longer uses propane or oil to heat or cool.

Two Themes: Public Awareness & Consumer Confidence

Public awareness of geothermal technology - We had never heard of it nor had our neighbors, and we look for things like this! A recent study revealed that 2 out of 10 people even know what a geothermal heat pump is.

Consumer confidence in geo - A GHP is a significant investment in ones property, the home owner needs to be confident in the technology. Everyone knows what a solar panel is and expects it to perform as promised, but the geothermal industry is not there yet. There are hundreds of thousands of successful geothermal systems - they are just hard to find because the proof is buried in backyards across the country, not displayed proudly on the rooftops.

Mission

"Foster increased utilization of value creating alternative energy systems while helping those who install them thrive."

Geothermal Heat Pumps are incredible systems for many reasons, all of which you might already know or will discover through this website. But, why in a recent study did market researchers find that only 2 out of every 10 home owners know what a geothermal heat pump was? To give you some perspective, 9 out of every 10 home owners knew what solar panels were. The industry needs a serious awareness and marketing boost, which is part of why we are here.

The technology is proven; we have it in our own homes and neighborhoods. Consumer confidence in new technologies is essential, and although geoexchange is not a new concept, it is still a relatively undiscovered and vulnerable marketplace. Several industry professionals have expressed concern about negative customer experiences effecting future opportunity. The industry can ill-afford to have geothermal systems installed incorrectly and consequently not work properly. An unsatisfied geothermal customer effects more than the installing contractor; it also hurts the industry and brings questions to the effectiveness of the system all together.

Fortunately there are plenty of skilled contractors, engineers, and loopers who do quality work and produce extremely satisfied customers. We are here to help those companies excel, which will in turn help the entire industry thrive. We are in the business of creating value; we are not another HVAC marketing firm trying to get at the pockets of small businesses.

We are here to boost the geothermal heat pump market, bring more jobs to the accredited and experienced contractors, and properly educate home owners.

If you have any questions or you would like to get involved please contact us.

Team

Our team consists of many hard-working programmers, engineers, and industry experts who are passionate about the geothermal industry. By using our extensive backgrounds in web-development, internet marketing, search engine optimization, and geothermal heat pumps we hope to help America become a more efficient country.

How Are We Doing?

The growth of our website and its traffic have been amazing. GeothermalGenius.org is now one of the most popular geothermal websites on the internet. Our simple geothermal video on YouTube has over 75,000 views and our website has had over 1 Million views. Our sweepstakes each season have resulted in many different grand prize winners (see Dale's Story). The Geothermal Testimonials Map has been featured in several online publications including HeatSpring Magazine.