A geothermal heat pump, a ground-source heat pump operates much like the common air-source heat pump by transferring heat, rather than creating it. Unlike air-source, a ground-source heat pump transfers heat to and from the earth to provide cooling and heating for your home. Below the frost line, the temperature of the earth in Indiana stays fairly constant at 50°F. In the summer, the soil temperature is cooler than the outside air. In the winter, it's warmer. A ground-source heat pump uses this constant temperature to heat and cool your home very efficiently.

Geothermal is the most earth-friendly home heating and cooling system available today. When you install a geothermal system, you're investing in a home that uses less energy, consumes fewer natural resources and keeps the air clean and fresh. There's no flame, no flue, no odor and no pollutants.

In the heating season, a ground-source heat pump supplies three to four units of heat to your home for every unit of electrical energy required to operate the system. So you get two to three kilowatt hours (kWh) of free energy for every one kWh of electrical energy you pay for. In other words, a ground-source heat pump is 300% to 400% efficient.