Is geothermal energy used primarily in homes?
Not really. While many homes have been fitted with geothermal systems, commercial enterprises, including factories, retail stores, office building and schools also use geothermal to save energy and protect the environment. In fact, there are more than half a million installations in the United States today. According to the U.S. EPA, schools are a particularly attractive place for the use of this technology. Across the country, schools using geothermal right now are saving an estimated $25,000,000. in energy costs-which can be used instead for better educational equipment and more teachers. These schools also save a half-billion pounds of CO2 emission per year. Should all of the nation’s schools convert to geothermal, the EPA has estimated that we could reduce oil imports by 61 million barrels annually, and provide the same environmental benefits of planting 8 million acres of trees or converting nearly 4 million cars to zero-emission vehicles. If the same comparison were made across a
