Google-born startup thinks its time for a ground-source heat pump renaissance

Dandelion

Seeking to do for home heating systems what SolarCity did for solar panels, a new company called Dandelion hopes to popularize decades-old, energy-efficient heating and cooling technology.

So-called “ground-source heat pumps” or “geothermal heat pumps” have been used for decades to warm and cool homes, especially in colder climates where expensive fuel oil is burned for warmth. The pumps use the relatively stable temperature of the Earth below the frost line to pull up and push down heat using pipes filled with a water/antifreeze solution (or food-grade propylene glycol, in Dandelion’s case). Although ground-source heat is an old and proven technology, Dandelion says it has made a few advances to the installation process and business model that will make these systems a more attractive proposition for homeowners.