GEOTHERMAL HEAT/AC

[joey]

I am partially retired(I do a few jobs for friends ) from the heat and ac buisness and you are partially right in your description, A geothermal system can work as good if not better than convential hvac system it all depends on the location ,type of geoth system and equipment being used and what your goal to accomplish with the system is. Finally something I know a lot more about than king does

[Chevy454]

[ QUOTE ]
A geothermal system can work as good if not better than convential hvac system it all depends on the location

[/ QUOTE ]
Ditto...I have it in my house (4200 sq/ft), and LOVE it...Mo has it in his house, as well as his bowling alley (7200 sq/ft w/16? ft sidewalls) and in the dead of summer while running 8 ginormous pin-setter machines and everything else in the alley I think he said his highest electric bill was well *under* $200...and those pin-setters create a LOT of heat, and Mo likes it COOOOLD in the summer! The cool thing about them is that you can have multiple zones w/multiple thermostats in different parts of the house...I cheaped out (addnl $3k) and didn't get that option, but we now wish we had...anyway, I would recommend the system.

Another option is a heat pump w/backup (uses same unit), which we have at the shop (6k sq/ft w/ 14 ft sidewalls)...they shine in the summer months, but with colder winters like you guys have, the LPG vs electric backup would probably be better.

[Hylton]

What did your set-up in your house cost you Rob? I am building this fall and am considering this option as well.

[Chevy454]

I believe it was $13k, which included digging/backfilling the 2k feet of lines...and as I said above, the extra zones option was gonna be $3k...but we shoulda done it. Check with your electric company, as they almost always (around here anyways) give a rebate if you go with geothermal...ours stopped a couple months prior to us buying our system, because they started on a new power plant and they had to finance it!

We have a seperate meter on our geo unit...I should check it and see how many kw we've used in a little under a year...

[427king]

I was given 2 prices ,one was 45K the other 82K for 6000 sq feet and alot of 12 ft ceilings.[diging 3 300 ft wells] Seems like today i got a quote of 30s due to everyone being out of work i presume?? It sure beats paying 600 a monthy for oil and rising, and i know everything regarding labor is 40% higher in CT than everywhere else in the US. they say in the northeast you need a backup[electric or oil] for those subzero days which come 7/8 days a winter ,which is a turnoff especially for that price tag they cost.. Geothermal seems a great way to go green and "stick it to the man" though.

[Chevy454]

While we don't get *quite* the cold temps as you, we do see zero and below every winter, and last I knew, in the 10+ years Mo said he'd owned his, his auxillary heat had *yet* to kick on...I know when we had our stretches of zeros and low-singles this past winter, our backup (heat strips) never kicked on, and my wife kept it cranked up to *at least* 72, and some days better...the strips on the heat pump @ shop, on the other hand, *did* eat some juice, though...btw, our lines are layed out laterally, versus in wells.

For 45k or 80k, I'd dig mine up with a shovel, and haul it to you and install it! LOL!!

[427king]

[ QUOTE ]
For 45k or 80k, I'd dig mine up with a shovel, and haul it to you and install it! LOL!!


[/ QUOTE ] You may laugh, but it may make sense to hire someone in Missouri or somewhere else to install it . These people is CT dont like to get out of bed unless they can make 500.00 an hour

[joey]

Lateral lines are the best way to go unless you are limited on space or in a severe climate condition , it uses more electricity to pump 300 ft vertical than 1000 ft horizontal , Here in Ga and at my home we had a large lake , pond or what ever you want to call it dug for our hvac system ,so we get excellent cooling plus fishing, and it looks great too, Id say in the 30s is just about right king for a good system, don't forget if your just building to get lines laid under your garage floor for free heat and cooling there too.

[@wot]

yeah, the quote I got was to drill 5 300' wells in addition the one we use for water. The horiz. loop is ok in new construction, but I don't know if I want dig the entire yard. Either way, its a cool way to heat & cool.