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Post by raphael on Sept 23, 2008 11:21:31 GMT -5
Okay I guess this one would be directed more to Fredo but anyone else can jump in. I was listening to Styles this morning and he had an expert on geothermal heat pumps. I didn't catch much of the show but he was telling about it being a better investment than a standard HVAC system. He said this area is 20 years behind other areas in this country on this technology. I also heard the tail end of him saying something about some kind of new insulation that you can add (3 inches) on your existing and it would make a big difference. Anyone know anything about geothermal heat pumps or know anyone that has one and what their experiences are with them?
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Post by Fredo on Sept 23, 2008 17:49:25 GMT -5
I look into these every few years and the story remains pretty much unchanged. Yes they're more efficient than a normal system, but they are so expensive to install that the payback often runs over 20 years.
The only exception that I know of would be in the case of a person who has a very productive well. The water source systems are a lot less expensive to install and offer similar efficiency to ground source systems.
In short, if you've already done every other thing that you can to achieve energy efficiency and still have $20k burning a hole in your pocket, it's a good deal. Otherwise, they're still just too expensive.
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Post by raphael on Sept 23, 2008 18:06:29 GMT -5
Thanks that's pretty much what I figured. They may go over good in areas where utilites are very high. This guy on the radio was making the system sound so great though.
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Post by Fredo on Sept 23, 2008 22:39:22 GMT -5
Thanks that's pretty much what I figured. They may go over good in areas where utilites are very high. This guy on the radio was making the system sound so great though. I didn't hear his shtick, but I imagine that he talked a lot about the efficiency and very little about the costs. I would love to put a geo thermal system in every house I build, but if my clients can't see a decent return, they just won't do it. I already press insulation as hard as I can and spec high efficiency equipment, but if the payback isn't there I just can't recommend some things.
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