Kids, Allergies, and Air Quality in Your Home- How Geothermal Heating and Cooling Can Help

Sometimes being a parent means playing the part of a detective, especially when you start hearing repeated complaints from your child:  

• “My tongue is hot.”  
• “My mouth keeps tingling.”  
• “It feels like something’s poking my tongue, and it won’t go away!”  
• “It’s like there’s an itchy, crawly bug in my ear.”  

Each year, more than 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from allergies. That’s a lot of hacking, coughing, itching, and misery. It’s hard watching our kids, particularly. We just want to relieve them from feeling “a zillion cactuses poking inside my throat.”  

Playing outside among allergens aggravates the problem, but indoor air quality doesn’t get a free pass. It, too, creates havoc for allergy sufferers just trying to breathe.  

THE ALLERGY-HOME HEATING CONNECTION  

Conventional gas-forced air systems draw air from the outside and distribute it throughout your home. Unfortunately, that air often carries pollen and spores. Some heating and cooling systems like ground source heat pumps (a.k.a. geothermal heating and cooling) avoid this open-air exchange.     

Ground source heat pumps quietly absorb natural heat from the earth and transfer it to your living spaces without pulling in outside contaminants. They help allergy sufferers in three ways:  

1. They keep outdoor allergens outside. Geothermal systems draw heat from the earth via underground loops of pipe that work in tandem with air handlers to keep your home comfortably contaminant-free. Excess outside air and all its pollutants stay outside.   
2. They maintain constant comfort. Fluctuations in heat and humidity invite contamination—one reason allergy sufferers feel sick in the fall when seasons change, and the furnace kicks on. Geothermal heating and cooling avoid dramatic fluctuations to deliver consistent comfort. Regarding thermostat settings, homeowners with geothermal systems typically “set it and forget it.”  
3. They eliminate contaminants that typically accompany burning fuels. Gas and oil furnaces rely on combustion that releases contaminants like carbon monoxide and soot into the air—added complications for folks with breathing difficulties. Ground source heat pumps burn nothing.  

RELIEF FOR THE ALLERGY SUFFERERS IN YOUR LIFE  

If you’re determined to help the allergy sufferers you love find comfort, now is an excellent time to consider your geothermal options. The current 30% federal tax credit for geothermal makes cleaner, pollutant-free air in your home more affordable than ever. State and local rebates can compound the savings. Explore clean-air possibilities with us that help your family breathe easier.