When my husband I decided to build a home in Phoenix, Arizona, we prioritized environmental impact.
We hoped to make the operation of residence as green as possible.
Focusing on minimizing carbon footprint also helps to keep monthly bills especially low. In Phoenix, solar energy is a great fit. We’re able to generate enough power to run the lights and all of our various appliances. We also looked into all different types of heating and cooling options. In Phoenix, the summer heat is absolutely brutal, bringing temperatures in the triple digits for months at a time. The winters are shorter but chilly. We can expect temperatures in the low forties, making a dedicated heating system necessary. As we researched, we came across heat pumps. This type of system combines heating and cooling into a single unit. There are air-source, ground-source, water-source and ductless heat pumps available. None of them burn fossil fuels or generate greenhouse gasses, making them wonderfully environmentally responsible. The mosta advantageous option is a ground-source or geothermal heat pump. This style of system takes advantage of a free and renewable energy stored under ground. In the winter, it pulls heat out of the earth and transfers it into the home. In the summer, it reverses operation to extract heat from the indoors and deliver it into the ground. Geothermal heat pumps achieve 400% efficiency ratings, because they generate four times the amount of energy the unit consumes. The investment was much higher than installing a conventional alternative. However, our heating and cooling bills are more than 50% less, which has worked to recover the cost in just a few years.