Posted: 4/8/2009 9:25:09 AM EDT
| I was wondering if anybody has used geothermal to heat and cool there house, if so what are the pros and cons. And did you see a big difference in your utility bills |
| If I could do it over I would go geothermal. The upfront cost is big but the tax breaks just started back up that were cut out last year so that should help bring the upfront costs down. Break even numbers would be different for everyone but for me it would have been about 5 years. Not bad IMO. |
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I've designed and contracted almost 150 geothermal systems for everything from houses to large high schools.
Power savings can be as high as 20%, up-front cost is approx. 50% higher than normal, gas/fuel oil cost is about 20% of normal. Break even for a 2,000 sf home is about 7 years. |
| I have talked to a couple heating and air companies, and one of them said it was a waste of money. They said they put one in for one of their clients and their last electic bill was $500. I thought that sounded a little high so I didn't know if that was normally or what |
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Quoted:
I have talked to a couple heating and air companies, and one of them said it was a waste of money. They said they put one in for one of their clients and their last electic bill was $500. I thought that sounded a little high so I didn't know if that was normally or what It is completely dependent on your normal outdoor temperatures, indoor temperature desired, soil thermal conductivity, size of well field, etc. It's possible to use dig a swimming pool and then use it as a heat sink. |