Do you know anyone who uses a geothermal heat pump for their home heating and air conditioning?
Also known as geoexchange heat pump or ground source heat pump.
How much did it cost them, and how well does it work for them? Do they ever have to supplement it with ordinary heating or air conditioning, or is it always plenty, even in the most extreme weather?
I had a geothermal unit (water to air heat pump)installed in October, 2007. I paid approx $8,000. There has not been any extreme weather here in North Carolina, but I don’t have a supplement system (except for a fireplace (winter) and fan (summer).. This unit was a replacement for water to air heat pump installed when the home was built in 1977. So I have used water to air heat pump system for 30 years and am pleased with the results. You should take advantage of the tax credit incentive! My system is GT048HZN STandard low temp Florida Heat Pump, 19EER/ 4.5 c.o.p., 4.0 ton nominal which was connected to EXISTING ductwork and water supply.
nope
the middle school in my town uses it and it is pretty reliable, but i think expensive to install
Icelanders .
no. i don’t
It is the most expensive of All the forms of utility and it takes seven years to pay for itself. I install it for a living(amongst other things)
A/C that can run backwards is as good of a short description as any.
Uses ‘free’ heat, you just have to pay to move it.
Sound technology, but not for every locale or application.
Cost: Hard to say, but I wouldn’t be suprised by a bid of $15,000 to $20,000.
Supplement: Part of the system is ‘emergency heat’. Essentially electric coils (a.k.a. electric furnace). It is used to cover heat needs when the capacity is reached. Expensive when its called.
Most residential electric service has two-phase electric service (208vac). The largest compressor normally available for 208vac is 5-ton. 1-ton equals 12,000 BTUs… so 5-tons equals 60,000 BTUs.
60,000 BTUs an hour is the capacity of the refrigerant system to move heat. If your home ever exceeds 60,000 BTUs of heat loss, then the emergency heat will kick on… and the meter will spin.
You could install multiple heat pumps, but the installation cost multiplies also.
Try a search here on heat pumps.
No, I’m not being cheeky, there is just a lot of good info here and it is too much to regurgitate it all.
Bottom line, it can mean some very low utility bills if sized and installed properly, but a very expensive mistake if not.
Cost to much to install, and you will never recoop the money that it cost to install, you would be better off with a heat pump! The cost is from 16,000 to 24,000 for a reglar size home, they’re not worth the cost!