I literally just started looking at this for my home as I would like to slowly make my way "off the grid."

With that said, I was curious if anyone has any knowledge or has worked with geothermal heating and cooling system for a home, how much it costs, how efficient and reliable the system is, etc.

The government is offering a 30% tax credit, which caught my eye. If/when something happens to my current HVAC system, I'd like to consider a geothermal HVAC as a replacement/upgrade.

Thoughts?

I might give these people a call and see what they have to say...
http://www.allenkelly.com/extra/geothermal-raleigh/

I've seen prices for systems range from $10k to $30k for homes.



[Edited on July 11, 2012 at 7:32 PM. Reason : .]

7/11/2012 7:30:03 PM

I sell a lot of commercial WSHP systems for the military bases. Generally the most expensive cost is upfront digging the well. Have you had someone quote you for that? The systems are very effecient for this area and you'll definitely tell a difference. The deciding factor will probably be digging the well though. What do you have now?

7/11/2012 8:16:31 PM

Traditional central heating and cooling. Heating is through natural gas provided by the city of Raleigh. Water heater is electric. I do have half an acre of land, but I'm curious if my location will severly prohibit the drilling of a well. I'm sure the installers can work around the city's underground plumbing.

My HVAC system and water heater are 5 years old.

Let me add that I do live in a older home with some modern day upgrades.

1200sqft brick ranch with upgraded/modern insulated doors and windows. I do need to finish re-insulating the attic...

[Edited on July 11, 2012 at 8:39 PM. Reason : .]

7/11/2012 8:31:01 PM

This thread is relevant to my interests

7/11/2012 8:33:09 PM

This thread is most definitely of my interest.

7/11/2012 9:41:13 PM

wow yeah you should be able to cut it down significantly if you get a heat pump water heater. Geothermal heat pumps save energy mostly by being able to hold a constant coil temperature, as opposed to cycling your fan on and off like you do with your current heat pump. Just keep in mind below 40-45 degrees you're still going to need what you have for back up.

i'm assuming you're in the 2-3 ton range? $10,000 seems a little high for a residential system but I guess installation costs are pretty high for the heat exchangers. Definitely dig into and see if these costs include well installation costs.

7/12/2012 12:46:43 AM

Awesome readup for those who aren't familiar:

http://fli.hws.edu/pdf/GEOTHERMAL%20HEATING%20AND%20COOLING.pdf

http://www.geothermalgenius.org/


^ In the winter, I usually set the house to about 73-75*. I don't mind throwing on more clothes to stay warm. But I understand what you are saying. 3 tons sounds about right.

Quote :

"35% North Carolina State Tax Credit Geothermal HVAC systems and installation qualify for up to a 35% North Carolina state income tax credit. This credit is available through 2015. •Maximum $8,400 credit •Credit cannot exceed 50% of state tax liability in any one year •Taken in equal installments over 5 years "

Quote :

"The Federal incentive covers 30% of the expenditures in the year the incentive is taken, up to a cap of $2,000 if the property was installed prior to January 1, 2009. Qualifying geothermal heat pump property installed after December 31, 2008 is eligible for 30% of the installed cost without a cap, as provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 (ARRA) . The incentive is available for taxpayers installing qualifying equipment at their primary residence or a second home, but not for a rental property. This incentive is available till December 2016. "

- http://www.geothermalgenius.org/states/north-carolina.html


[Edited on July 12, 2012 at 1:19 AM. Reason : .]

7/12/2012 12:57:04 AM

I suggest a closed -loop water-to-air heat pump systemic you can afford the installation cost of the in-ground heat exchange loops. It's not cheap but it's very efficient.

7/12/2012 1:22:08 AM

^ I would agree, from what I have learned from my old major it seemed like a smart choice. I hae never owned one though.


If you live in raleigh I highly recommend you visit the NCSU solar house. It is essentially a demo house with all the latest energy saving equipment for your house. Most of what they have is something I hope one day to get to, but of course there are a few things that seem like more work and money than what it is worth.

here is a link to the solar house http://ncsc.ncsu.edu/index.php/resource-center-2/solar-house/




they also have a geothermal pump

http://ncsc.ncsu.edu/index.php/technology/renewable-energy/geothermal/

you can go and visit whenever you want but if you want to talk to someone (they are very useful) then I believe it works by appointment?!? not sure anyway let us know when you figure it out

7/12/2012 8:59:27 AM

While a lot of the newer technologies related to HVAC are nice, I still can't justify the installation cost even after tax credits on a lot of them simply due to the fact that our heating and cooling bills are pretty small as is and the potential for savings is fairly small.

7/12/2012 9:11:58 AM

^ This is usually the case for residential owners. Most of the wshp units i've sold are retrofits where someone wants a dehumidification option and still wants to make use of an existing chiller... or if it's a government job and they have a fixed budget to throw at digging a well.

[Edited on July 12, 2012 at 9:47 AM. Reason : .]

7/12/2012 9:46:27 AM

May parents did this at the coast they love it. They have a big house and it saves them a lot of money each month during the summer. They had my brother install a closed loop system for the heat pump.

Where is your house located? Don't need address, just street.

7/12/2012 1:38:55 PM

I got a quote from Allen Kelly last year for a 4 ton geothermal system. They were going to drill 4 horizontal wells. They really seemed to know what they are doing. It came out to about $34k. I believe after the tax credits, the net cost would have been $17k. I spend about $1800/yr on energy, so it would probably take the whole lifetime of the system to break even. My understanding is the larger the home, the quicker the payoff, so most of their installations are in 5000+ sq ft homes.

In the end, I was scared off by reading that they often have problems during a dry summer. During dry weather, the ground will shrink away from the well and it will be unable to transfer any heat to the ground. You actually have to irrigate your yard to mitigate that. Also, if you ever have any well problems, you are in for some steep repair bills.

I ended up going with a gas electric hybrid for about $7k.

Another advantage of geothermal that I haven't seen mentioned here is you can also use it for hot water generation, which could save you additional energy.

[Edited on July 13, 2012 at 8:09 AM. Reason : ?]

7/13/2012 8:06:13 AM