Geothermal - National Catholic Sisters Week 2022

As the Sisters at St. Mary Monastery were planning to build a monastery in Rock Island, Il. the decision was made to have geothermal heating and cooling for the monastery.

Geo-thermal uses less fossil fuel than a conventional heating and cooling system. Heat is absorbed from the air inside the home and moved away (in air conditioning mode) while air conditioners and air source heat pumps release heat into the air outside, but a geothermal heat pump uses the ground as its heat sink. It releases heat underground or into a body of water, depending on the loop configuration.

Numbers from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that a homeowner using geothermal systems may realize a saving of 30-70% on heating cost and 20-50% on cooling cost, compared to other conventional systems. A geothermal heat pump is the greenest, most efficient, and most cost-effective heating and cooling system available.