Google Has a Plan to Cool Your Home With Dirt

Geothermal heating and cooling makes for huge energy savings

July 10, 2017 9:00 am

Chances are you already have a near endless source of renewable, clean energy on your property.

It’s called “the ground.” That thing you walk on every day is going to save you a ton in heating and cooling bills … eventually.

Just launched, Dandelion — a project straight outta Alphabet’s “moonshot factory” X (formerly Google X) — is aiming to get geothermal heating and cooling systems to homeowners. Basically, this means using the ground to regulate your home temperature.

How it works: in the winter, U-shaped plastic pipes absorb heat from the earth. From there, a geothermal heat pump turns that absorbed heat into warm air for your home. In the summer, the process is reversed — the pump draws warm air out of your home and disperses into the ground.

The advantages here? It’s pretty self-regulating, good for the environment, and MUCH cheaper than your current heating system. Starting in upstate New York, where carbon-intensive energy use is high (blame propane and fuel oil), Dandelion’s initial aim is to improve the drilling aspects of geothermal installation. The company also plans to offer zero-down financing.

Here’s to the Earth saving the Earth. And your wallet.

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