Replies

1. 
   gb93433 | Oct 03, 2006 11:07pm | #1

   An excellent website on geothermal is at http://geoexchange.com/

   There is enough there to keep you busy for days.

1. 
   user-209974 | Oct 04, 2006 04:30am | #6

   thanks,,,,,I'll check this site out.

    

                       rural route

2. 
   JohnT8 | Oct 03, 2006 11:23pm | #2

   Hi rural route, welcome to BT.  What type of information were you looking for?

   Typically geothermal is the most efficient heating method, however the installation costs more.  I wouldn't consider paying the extra cost unless I was planning on being in the house for several years.  But with utility bills ever on the rise, more efficient always helps. 

    

    

   jt8

   'Grandpa used to say "know your role and shut your hole." '   --Stilletto

1. 
   user-209974 | Oct 04, 2006 04:28am | #4

   Hi John T8,

   Mainly I just want to know if people are comfortable with geothermal heating & cooling.   I realize it's more expensive to install.   I hope to live another 20 years in this house to be built next year.  I've been in my current house since 1970.   We started with radiant heat cables in the ceiling, no A/C.  Electric rates tripled.   We put in a wood stove, used that for many years, but it was uneven heat and inconvenient.    Finally we installed a propane powered furnace, hot water heat and also put in a separate central A/C system.    It's expensive to operate but wonderfully comfortable.    Thanks for your input.

                                        rural route

    

    

1. 
   CloudHidden | Oct 04, 2006 05:06pm | #8

   >Mainly I just want to know if people are comfortable with geothermal heating & coolingNote that all a ground source heat pump (GSHP, colloquially known as geothermal) does is create hot and cold water or hot and cold air. A different part of the hvac system has to deliver the hot and cold throughout the building. That might be via hydronic radiant floor heating, or ducts, or hydronic radiators, or other means. It's the delivery part of the system that will determine comfort, while the GSHP will determine economy, i.e., the cost of producing X btu/h.I have a GSHP and am pleased by its performance. I like the quiet operation and the low operating cost. They produce water temps lower than those from a furnace...mine works best at 105-110 degrees F. This works well with RFH, but should be matched to whatever delivery system you choose. On the cold side, it produces water in the low 40's with ease. We hook that to a Unico system for delivery. It's effective, if not the most economical to purchase.Consider installing a desuperheater to produce domestic hot water as a byproduct of the GSHP system. I wish I had done this back then.

1. 
   user-209974 | Oct 05, 2006 06:44am | #10

   thanks, CloudHidden,,,,,,,,,,I have much to learn about this.

                     rural route

3. 
   timby | Oct 04, 2006 12:00am | #3

   Take a look at the following site. Phil used a Geo-thermal in his house. He has a forum that you can ask questions.

   http://www.ourcoolhouse.com/

   Hope this helps....;>)

1. 
   user-209974 | Oct 04, 2006 04:29am | #5

   thanks, timby, that's a lot of good info,,,I'll look into it.

    

                             rural route

4. 
   Tim | Oct 04, 2006 03:39pm | #7

   I just fininshed a design concept for a dentist office to be built near Madison, north of the cheddar curtain. Sized, selected and priced 3 options, one being geoexchange heat pumps with closed ground loops. The payback was very conservatively estimated to be 7 years for a 6000 sf/17 ton (cooling) system. Realistically, I estimate that to be more like 5 years. My company and I are presently involved with a large retrofit for a school near Sterling, IL. Replacing the existing with a closed-loop, geoexchange system.

   This a very specialized type of HVAC system and very few companies know enough to attempt it. IF you cannot find a local company that has significant experience in these systems, I recommend that you contact Bill Beattie at Rockford Geothermal (815) 979-7275. Ballparking, "squarefooting" and other "rules of thumb" cannot be used. A few basic steps are required: a thorough heat loss/gain calculation performed for the building, a loop field design approach decided and the loop fied designed by a certified designer, which for a closed-loop system will involve a test bore to determine the specifcs of the ground where the installation will be done.

   There are several types of systems, which one is the most appropriate for your installation depends on the details of your building site. One organization that I have found to be an excellent source of information is the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium at http://www.geoexchange.org/ .

    

1. 
   user-209974 | Oct 05, 2006 06:43am | #9

   thanks, Tim, I have a lot to read and consider,,,,,,,,will study and try and make a wise decision.

    

                    rural route

5. 
   aiyanalunette | Sep 13, 2010 10:01am | #11

   Geothermal Heating Cooling Systems

   If your looking for a geothermal heating cooling systems I recommend using http://www.lauryheating.com

1. 
   DanH | Sep 13, 2010 08:36pm | #12

   You recommend a NJ plumber for someone living in Illinois?  Those travel charges are going to add up!

   (One might almost suspect you were spamming, especially since you were replying to a 4-year-old post.)