I went to see a geothermal installation at a nearby open house. The people are plenty granola so may be biased but the house was large and they claimed a 75% energy reduction heating and cooling.
There are also well based systems for those with small yards or who don't want to do the large amount of digging required. I've heard such good things about using the ground's steady 55 degrees for this that I think it should be in the national building code. I also have been looking into solar hot water due to the subsidies available this year but a large amount of heat in the summer can damage tre panels if they are not circulating. Also, ray cayer is a friend of mine here is his site, you may wish to email him directly and it's possible he either has info or can direct you. http://www.raycotechnologies.org/ In my opinion, you are SMART to do all your research first before going in for an alter5native source. But equally SMART to try and make it work. I don't see any reason that oil will be cheap again. Maybe it will settle back somewhat, but my guess is that these alternatives are a solid investment. I heat with anthracite coal, btw. Costs me $650/yr for 75 degree house. HTH Chris _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chuck Wills Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 11:49 AM To: Miatapower Subject: NMC: geothermal vs. "normal" heat pump vs. ??? Hey gang, Since you guys are the smartest people I know, I thought I'd throw this question out here: My AC unit has expired, and my propane heat system is costing way too much to operate, since propane has nearly doubled in price in the last 24 months. So... it's time to think heat pump, I suppose. My options are a normal air-coupled heat pump, or a geothermal system. The heat pump would just be your standard type system, with either propane or electric resistance heat as a backup. I don't know much more than that... I don't have a price or the SEER rating yet. The geo system would be a horizontal closed loop system. About 400' of ground loop buried 5-6' deep. They recommend a backup heat system for this as well, which could be either propane or electric resistance. The geo system also includes a new water heater - apparently the geo system will take care of about 80% of the hot water generation we require. SEER rating is 21 and the installed price is about $20k... yikes. I've seen data that says the ground loop is good for 50+ years, and the indoor equipment has a 22 year life span. BTW, it's a 3 ton unit and we live in Southern Indiana... so it's about 90*/90% humidity in summer and can be in the teens in the winter. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with geothermal vs. other types of HVAC? Thanks! chuck wills
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