anyone else with a geothermal unti

[taynormom]

Hi
I was wondering if anyone else has geothermal .
I m building a log home and we are going to put one in.
Would like to hear other opinions on this . I was told that they don't keep very warm in the winter ?
We will have a fire place with an insert too.
What is your experience with your geothermal?
thanks for any help
taynormom

[ChoochCharlie]

I asked the same question over a year ago. No response.
Geothermal is a ground source heat pump. In the right area, they are great. Not cost effective where it's too cold.
Keep us (and I really mean "me") updated with your progress.

[DavidOH]

I remember Martin posting this on the building forum:

Post by AlchemyAcres
http://www.norishouse.com/PAHS/UmbrellaHouse.html

12vman posted this in the Solar forum:
http://mb-soft.com/solar/saving.html

[msta999]

Hi
*I was wondering if anyone else has geothermal .
I m building a log home and we are going to put one in.
Would like to hear other opinions on this . I was told that they don't keep very warm in the winter ?
We will have a fire place with an insert too.
What is your experience with your geothermal?
thanks for any help
taynormom

Are you putting in a geothermal with heatpump? It will do a good job keeping you warm and will keep your heating costs down. Just geothermal will bring the temp to the same as the earth, which is around 58 degrees, won't freeze, but not real warm either.

[tufhelp]

Do I have it right, isn’t the plus with that 58 degree temp is that it is only 12 degrees away from 70 degrees? Thereby making the ancillary heating system work far less and more frugally to get to the desired livable temperature, be it wood or a more traditional system.

[msta999]

Yes, geothermal systems are one of the most efficient systems made. If the temp is 50-60 degs already, it doesn't take alot of engergy to get the temp up to around 70 degs. where without geothermal, if the temp is 30 degs, then the heatpump has to work harder, or what ever your using for heat. Once again, what does make the biggest differance is having a home that is very well insulated and sealed. Then no matter what you use, it won't take much to heat it. Adding a porch to your home is a good investment for the winter, won't let so much cold air in the house as you go in and out.

[flatwater]

Geothermal works best with an underground house. With about 200 feet of both tubes underground , one connected to the top and one to the bottom of you dwelling. One should have the earth that is covering your tubes covered with a sheet of plastic about a foot under the earth. This helps keep the earth dry and able to store more thermal heat in the summer to release that heat in the wintertime in your home. I have a link that has a picture and some reading on a geothermal set up
Flatwater

[bill_in_in]

Finished my new house last year. Heating and cooling ~3,000 sq ft and I haven't had an bill over $140.00 yet. House is well insulated but I think the two kids manage to offset that. Quite a bit of pipe in the ground below 5-6'.

[davidlj]

I saw planet green and they installed a system in North Carolina that used compressed gas. Since the Discovery site fails to reflect any links or such would any one know about such systems?

[davidlj]

I found it the geothermal DX systems

[MinotBob]

I have a geothermal system in my place near Minot ND. When it was put in by the previous owner he put the heating system on a separate electrical meter so he could get an idea of exactly what his heating and A/C was costing him. I bought the place in 2004. In the last year I have not paid more than $54 for heating in a month and my lowest bill was $8.64 in June. The $54 bill was last January. Total bill for January was $123. It sure does make a big difference in cold climate.

My ground source is 6 water wells dug to a depth of about 200' each. They are all manifolded together above ground. Only 4 were recommended but he thought 6 would be better. Each can be turned off or isolated if a problem develops.

[msta999]

I have a geothermal system in my place near Minot ND. When it was put in by the previous owner he put the heating system on a separate electrical meter so he could get an idea of exactly what his heating and A/C was costing him. I bought the place in 2004. In the last year I have not paid more than $54 for heating in a month and my lowest bill was $8.64 in June. The $54 bill was last January. Total bill for January was $123. It sure does make a big difference in cold climate.

My ground source is 6 water wells dug to a depth of about 200' each. They are all manifolded together above ground. Only 4 were recommended but he thought 6 would be better. Each can be turned off or isolated if a problem develops.

I talked to my brother and told him what you just said and this is what he says about it. Remember he installs they units.

"Matt, This happens all the time. People can't believe how inexpensive gshp 's operate. This is why schools's and churches and buisness's install them. St. Peter's Church in Sisseton turned their $35000 a year heating with no AC , to a $9000 a year heating and cooling bill. That $35000 would now be over $70000 . The larger the building the more the saving's. Adding extra wells added to the instalation cost by over $3000 , so I don't think he did a wise choise by doing that. Only bragging rights.The guy only saved about $10 a month. That is a 25 year payback. You have a perfect system now. You live where it is a moderate climate. It would not pay to install a system where you live. If you moved out here, it would be ideal. Talk to you later ,Jesse"

[MinotBob]

I believe that it probably cost him about $20,000 to install the system in 2000. It would take him a long time to recover that initial cost. But for me it's a big savings. I have no idea the additional savings that you would have installing the extra wells, but for him it was inconsiderably more than that because he was in the oil well drilling business and drilled the wells himself.

[MNMOM]

We built last summer and put in geothermal, love it, love it, love it. We also put radiant floor heating in all the floors. We couldn't believe the difference in our heating bill's from the old house to the new. The house is very warm and same temperature throughout. It also is our air conditioning for summer. We also heat our hot water with it.

It's a little pricey to put in, but it will pay for itself very fast at this rate. I had argued with my hubby over the price, but I'm glad he won out. ;D

We put in triple pane windows and we also used blown foam insulation.

[MinotBob]

I just got my bill for June and the cost of A/C, no heat, was $11.46. Anyway you cut it, there's a big savings.