# Geo-Thermal Heat..



## Helena (May 10, 2002)

OK.. I know very little to nothing on this subject. I realize that at our age that the investment would be too great for us to do to our old house. But..with everyone worried about energy and the pro's and more con's on drilling for gas and oil etc..Why not when new homes are built that they put in all geo-thermal heating systems. It would added into the cost. Now I'm talking about the cookie cutter suburban housing. It would be a beginning. What do you all think ??


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

In this area, we have seen many contractors get all excited about geo-thermal and slap systems together. So far the university studies watching these systems have not seen any of them work out well.

We are still hoping.


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi,
I'm inclined to thing that putting the extra money into the house envelope (very good insulation, very good sealing, very good windows, Energy Recovery Ventilators) would pay better than geothermal heat pumps, and would last forever. But, I've not seen any numbers comparing these two approaches.

Homes that meet the Passive House Standard use about 1/5th the energy of regular code homes, so the savings for a good envelope can be very good.

Gary


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

SolarGary said:


> I'm inclined to thing that putting the extra money into the house envelope (very good insulation, very good sealing, very good windows, Energy Recovery Ventilators) would pay better than geothermal heat pumps, and would last forever.


BINGO, we have a winner. I, too, am of the opinion that building a house that needs little heating and cooling is the key to energy savings.

An old article in New Shelter magazine tells of a builder in upstate New York that builds home so well insulated and so tight that there is no need for a furnace at all. Appliances, lighting, body heat, etc. provides all that is needed. The article from from the 1980s, so why aren't homes being built to those standards today. The builder claimed the extra measures and insulation were simply paid for from furnace system savings.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I installed my first geothermal heating/cooling system in western NC 20 years ago. During the following years it worked nearly flawlessly and provided lots of comfort. I saved many thousand of dollars over the years with the unit's economical performance.
Two months ago I replaced the unit with a new current technology unit and the savings continue to be had.
I condition a rather large home. Folks in this area with comparable size homes with conventional heat pumps typically experience power bills above $260 to $280 per month or more. My ground water is approximately 56 degrees F and the unit is an open loop system. Just finishing the hottest month of the year (August) here is the result of the new unit. Last year with the older geothermal system I used a total of 1403 kilowatts during 30 days of August for the entire farm. With the new unit the bill is for 31 days for the same period and 1134 kilowatts. The current bill for the time period referenced was $90.88 and we have experienced an increase in the price per kilowatt. Do realize that I was already benefiting for a geothermal system and the replacement unit is just this much more efficient. IMO persons that are not familiar with geothermal units tend to compare them to air to air units and do not understand the benefits of using the deep ground temperature as the source from which the heat and cool is extracted. Air to air units have backup strip heat as a necessity. A geothermal unit does not have to have strip heat backup. Geothermal units are used much further North than where you are located. If you can figure out how to get one installed without going through a high priced HVAC company the price is much less that what is typically quoted. A retired friend that has a HVAC license and I installed this unit I now have and the cost was $4400.


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## Red Elm (Sep 29, 2011)

We also have an open loop geo system. Our electric bill is around $160 per month and we are 100% electric. We do burn wood during the winter, I find the geo doesn't work as well when it gets into the teens but our system is 18 years old.


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