Benefits of Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Before you invest in something like this, do a test. Log your yearly energy bills, then make small investments like having insulation added to your attic above or crawlspace below. These two places are where the majority of your heat loss and heat gain occur in the winter and summer. These are things you can do yourself for relatively little money that will net you big savings. Then have your furnace/air-conditioning systems serviced. See how this effects your bill, you'll be amazed. Then, as your budget permits, you can have doors and windows replaced with better insulated models. Ground Source heat pumps can be cantankerous and expensive to repair especially if you develop a leak in your Ground Loop or Heat Exchanger. Insulating your home is the best first step. If you keep exterior heat out in the summer and keep your heat in in the winter then that's work that your HVAC system won't have to do. After all if you had a boat with holes in it, would you fix the holes or buy a more energy efficient bilge pump?

I had to write a report on geothermal systems for my science final and thanks to this video I got 97% 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

Here's a real world example: I own a HVAC company. We install mostly convectional equipment including AC equipment (Air handlers And condensers) natural gas ,boilers, furnaces, heat pumps (air to air and water to air types such as the equipment mentioned in the video). I was involved in a geothermal system that was designed by a professional engineer. The homeowner asked me to install all the equipment inside the house and hired a well company to drill 3- 500 ft deep wells outside the home with engineer specify everything that was needed. Seven years later, homeowner still not happy with how much the electrical bill to run the equipment. To be fair, Massachusetts has some of the nation's highest electrical costs, but one thing these pro-geothermal companies don't mention is the amount of the electricity to push using large circulator pumps, glycol/water mix through the pipe/pipes outside the home through the "field". I believe this adds at least 30% or more electrical usage compared to convectional systems. Many people don't know that the latest air to air heat pumps make heat even with temps below zero degrees outside and this equipment easily competes with geothermal equipment which also heat pumps, but water to air, not air to air. The latest heat pumps are much more efficient but do cost 3 times more money then convectional heat pumps but again much, much less than geothermal installs. So all that being said, unless you have below average electrical utilities to hook up to or a lot of solar panels because you need a lot of electricity, for most people, you will spend a lot of money drilling vertically or installing horizontally the field pipe/pipes and will take years to get your money back. Plus you will be surprised how much electricity you need run the equipment. Lastly, not many HVAC contractors that can service geothermal so you will also pay a lot for future repairs.

I’ve been working for a geothermal Company for 3 years now as a sheetmetal apprentice. It really is amazing. New construction makes most sense. We do mostly condos and net zero buildings. Will most likely be the future of heating and cooling. I love my job.

So while the outside air goes from cold in winter to hot in summer, the temperature a few feet down in your yard, remains the same. And you just tap into that reservoir of constant temperature with pipes. Brilliant!!

My brother uses this in his house that he built over 30 yrs ago on top of a hill in eastern Ohio and loves it. No problems.

Thank you , as far as I can tell the biggest drawback is the initial investment, and finding an installer with REAL KNOWLEGE an experiance

Cost $30,000 to install a Geothermal unit in my house. The unit lasted 3 years before the pipes underground broke a leak. Found out a couple days ago that my unit is screwed until I dig up the pipes to find the leak. My house got the unit in 2019. There’s no compensation, I have to pay to fix it myself. It’s in the middle of summer, my house is currently 86 degrees. Great experience so far

Back in about 1982, my church in NE Ohio had a pond loop heat pump system installed when they built the church. Within 5 years the church members decided to pay to have a gas well drilled for $100,000... the gas they sold and the availability of free heat paid for itself in just a few years. The pond system they were sold by a reputable geothermal company was only about 25% the size they were told they needed just a year or two later, when they complained about the high electricity bills and freezing cold church in winter. I think that a vertical loop system, about 1000-2000 feet deep to reach the warmer underground regions is needed in Northern Ohio.

Thank you, I didn't have a clue how they worked but knew it was the way 2 go.

Thanks for the video on your company

In a heat pump when the temperature rises outside it raises the pressure inside the of the copper pipes which in turns raises the temperature of the refrigerant.

I honestly didn't know there was a system to warm your sidewalk during the winter! Very smart idea.

How would a builder/remodeler do this in the deep south, where the climate is a little different? Mainly the ground source heat pump. Here in the greater New Orleans, La area, there is a heck of a lot of soil movement/soil subsidence. We are constantly pumping sand under the foundation of the houses, jacking up the houses to level and leveling the yards with either sand or top soil. How would this effect the physical components and connections of the equipment, as well as the efficiency and operation of the system? Also, I used to live in the greater Seattle, WA area and understand that a majority of the houses there don't have A/C systems. How would you incorporate an A/C system and still be Net Zero?

Climate Master, the KING of the water source heat pump, period.

We replaced our standard HVAC system when it neared the end of the average life span. The Geothermal has been AMAZING! It has taken us through several Missouri summers with many, many days above 100 degrees. Inside was comfortable at 70 degrees and NO big air conditioner equipment outside. The water in our loops is cooled by the earth, and a fan blows past the loop to send cool air though our home via the existing ducts. Likewise, the earth's heat is brought into our home, magnified through the compressor to keep us at 70 degrees in the winter. We didn't even have to switch from our long-time HVAC company for service and seasonal maintenance. The same guys that installed our old system put in our Geothermal and they service both types - super easy! If your HVAC unit is nearing the end of its life...change over to Geothermal! You'll be happy you did.

My home has deep wells for geothermal, and is extremely efficient. Inside is chilly in summer, and nice in winter, all with very low electric cost. Amazing. Just moved into our home last June. Very low cost to run it.

My home 6,000 sf cost about $45,000 to install Ground Source Heat Pump System in Oklahoma about 7 years ago for vents, duct work, 3 units 2 ton, 3 ton and 4 ton. 6 vertical boreholes 300' deep using 1" HDPE plastic pipe with life of 100+ years. Reverse return With 30% tax credit and $200 per ton from city of Stillwater. My cost was around $28,000. Which was less than a conventional gas fired system at $30,000. My average cost is around $70 per month for heating and cooling in Oklahoma. My total electric bill averages $156 per month for lights, cooking, hot water, heating and cooling. Plus I feel healthier, no gas fumes, no gas even to home for the two fireplaces. No loud compressors outside making noise. Units sound like refrigerator running. Insulation in home normal no spray on foam.

All great comments. I have also added a solar system to power my AC's. Electric cost efficiency isn't as much of a concern when the power comes from the sun...

These are better & more reliable than air/air systems. I've installed some & it was more efficient especially on Heat Pump systems. We don't see them too often because builders don't want to pay the extra costs involved to install these. It's more expensive & takes more time to drill or dig. Then it must be pressure tested which all takes time / money they'd rather not spend. It's not difficult to install these systems & if I owned a home I'd want one, they're that much better. peace