With all of the information available on the web, we wanted to take the time to dispel a few of the myths surrounding geothermal heat pumps in a three part series. Today, Geothermal Myth #1: They Don't Work in the Extreme Cold.The myth that geothermal heat pumps do not work in cases of extreme cold is often derived from the fact that standard air source heat pumps do perform poorly in below freezing temperatures. A ground source heat pump is NOT an air-to-air heat pump.A number of homeowners in the Northeast have complained that air-source heat pumps do not have the ability to produce enough warm air when the outdoor temperature drops below freezing (which it often does during those brutal northeast winters). The differences is that when the outside temperature is below freezing (say 15 degrees Fahrenheit) the temperature underground is still somewhere between 45 and 55 degrees.So remember that 400% efficiency that your geothermal heat pump has? Well it's still there! Just because the temperature outside drops does not mean you need to worry about your geothermal heat pump's ability to keep you warm. Your geothermal heating will function just as efficiently whether its 90 degrees or 10 degrees.Geothermal Myth #2: My Geothermal Unit Will Need a Backup
