Geothermal Heating

newbie · 06-06-2007, 04:35 PM

Anyone have any experience with Geothermal heating. We are toying with the idea of building new and have seen some web site about this form of heating. Was wondering if anyone has installed and their experience. Thanks in advance

ACutAbove · 06-06-2007, 08:52 PM

I know Gouin and sons (not sure of spelling) does this. They are out of Laconia. The system is supposed to be pretty good from what I have heard.
Keep us posted on what you find out.

Just Sold · 06-06-2007, 10:05 PM

Geothermal is good but the start up costs and other expenses should be looked into. Also is NH a good place for geothermal compared to other alternatives? You have to drill a deep well and then strip the heat from the water in the well. Not hot water either.

I looked into it a while back and if I remember you may have to supliment (sp) geothermal with a fosil fuel, oil, gas or even electric, occasionally during very cold spells. It can also be a complicated system too.

An alternative my brother had installed in Maine near Bar Harbor was a ceramic electric system that feeds the radiant (water) in floor heat in his new home there. It has 2 large ceramic plates that heat up to 1500 deg F during off peak hours and that lasts all day even on the coldest days. He had an engineering study done and it determined that the ceramic system was cheaper than oil, gas, electric or other methods. The system is a little larger than a normal furnace but is extremely efficient. I have stayed there a few times and it was very comfortable. Never had to touch the thermostat once.

The house is all high tech and overall cheap to operate. PM me if you want more info. I am sold on the virtues of the heating system for NE. This is the link to the house my brother built. http://www.knightarchitect.com/curre...berry%20field/

Puckster · 06-17-2007, 09:08 PM

My short answer is, do not do it. I have wired up a few of them and they use alot of energy to heat. I asked one of my customers and she said her electric bill on the coldest month reached 800 bucks. I was a 2200 square foot well insulated house. They are noisy, and alot of parts to break. Not worth the hassle. If I were ever to build a house again, I would spring for the foam insulation and get an efficient boiler.

SAMIAM · 06-18-2007, 06:51 AM

Puckster is right....they work well in warmer climates but can be troublesome and expensive in the north.If it were me,I'd do the foam insulation and radiant heat.Just my .02 $

Pineedles · 06-18-2007, 06:56 AM

I would also check local/state regulations. For whatever strange reason our town doesn't allow geothermal heating. But I guess that's Connecticut for you.

SIKSUKR · 06-18-2007, 07:04 AM

Even at $3 a gallon for oil,a pretty efficient boiler is still twice as cheap as converting electricity to heat here with northeast electric rates.I really don't see how ceramic can be anymore than marginally more efficient than other electric resistance heat.A btu is a btu,no matter where it comes from.

Just Sold · 06-18-2007, 08:19 PM

SS in therory you are right but this type of heating is used in Colorado and quite effectively. Similar cold winters to NE and longer too. The system in Maine is a hot water system vs hot air which is typical out west. My brother has the hot air system in his Estes Park CO home. (It is rented for part of the year for the tourists who come to visit Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park so it needs to have good heat for the colder times.)

The engineering study done for the Maine home proved the effectivness and efficiency compared to propane gas, oil and electric. The naysayers, builder, architect and others, involved with the build in ME were won over. When my brother arrives in Maine in a few weeks, he is currently driving east and visiting along the way, I will post links to the system he uses. He is thrilled with its performance and comfort using the radiant floor heating. It is a newer technology and you have to study up on it to learn the benifits.

It actually saves fosil fuel costs as compared to other the methods even in getting its source from the power company. An off peak meter is used providing a good savings off regular rates.

BTW I have not heard a good word about geothhermal heat in cold climates where electric costs are high such as NE. I did do my homework on geothermal last year and decided no way I would use it.

On a side note an "Energy Star Rating" tag does not tell you how well a product performed or rated in testing. Always look for "Energy Star Certified" which means the product met or exceeded the standard for that product category for energy efficiency. Very few products meet the "certified" category requirements.

jeffk · 06-18-2007, 09:23 PM

About 15 years ago I bought a modified heat pump system for my house. I provided heat and A/C for the house as well as hot water. It was a new concept but I checked it out and it seemed fine. It worked great at first, plenty of hot water and the house could be heated as long as the outside was 10 degrees or warmer. I had a coal stove for heating backup on really cold winter nights. The electric bills were very reasonable and I was saving a lot of money, at least $500/yr.

After a year and a half I started having valves stick, an exchanger burst, and finally the compressor went. I spent a ton on maintenance, some of the parts were custom and therefore VERY pricey. The only person who would work on the system was the person who installed it. The system became less and less reliable. After 4 years I had to pull the system out. I got burned for at least $5000.

The moral of the story, cutting edge technology MAY prove itself but you run the risk of being a Guinea pig. Be sure you know that the system is reliable in the conditions that you plan to run it under. Do they have systems that have been running for at least 5 years? Who can maintain the system? Are they reasonably local and reliable? If there is only one tech that works on these systems in the area and he decides to move to Florida, what will you do then? When the system breaks (everything does) do you have backup? Are parts stock and available? Parts from foreign countries sometime take months to get.

My personal attitude is - "Never again".

06-06-2007, 04:35 PM	#1
newbie Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Just North of Boston Posts: 105 Thanks: 57 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts	Geothermal Heating Anyone have any experience with Geothermal heating. We are toying with the idea of building new and have seen some web site about this form of heating. Was wondering if anyone has installed and their experience. Thanks in advance

06-06-2007, 10:05 PM	#3
Just Sold Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Suncook, NH, but at The Lake at Heart Posts: 2,612 Thanks: 1,082 Thanked 433 Times in 209 Posts	There are better alternatives to geothermal Geothermal is good but the start up costs and other expenses should be looked into. Also is NH a good place for geothermal compared to other alternatives? You have to drill a deep well and then strip the heat from the water in the well. Not hot water either. I looked into it a while back and if I remember you may have to supliment (sp) geothermal with a fosil fuel, oil, gas or even electric, occasionally during very cold spells. It can also be a complicated system too. An alternative my brother had installed in Maine near Bar Harbor was a ceramic electric system that feeds the radiant (water) in floor heat in his new home there. It has 2 large ceramic plates that heat up to 1500 deg F during off peak hours and that lasts all day even on the coldest days. He had an engineering study done and it determined that the ceramic system was cheaper than oil, gas, electric or other methods. The system is a little larger than a normal furnace but is extremely efficient. I have stayed there a few times and it was very comfortable. Never had to touch the thermostat once. The house is all high tech and overall cheap to operate. PM me if you want more info. I am sold on the virtues of the heating system for NE. This is the link to the house my brother built. http://www.knightarchitect.com/curre...berry%20field/ __________________ Just Sold At the lake the stress of daily life just melts away. Pro Re Nata

06-17-2007, 09:08 PM	#4
Puckster Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 38 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	geothermal My short answer is, do not do it. I have wired up a few of them and they use alot of energy to heat. I asked one of my customers and she said her electric bill on the coldest month reached 800 bucks. I was a 2200 square foot well insulated house. They are noisy, and alot of parts to break. Not worth the hassle. If I were ever to build a house again, I would spring for the foam insulation and get an efficient boiler.

06-18-2007, 06:56 AM	#6
Pineedles Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Moultonborough & CT Posts: 2,535 Thanks: 1,059 Thanked 652 Times in 363 Posts	Regulations I would also check local/state regulations. For whatever strange reason our town doesn't allow geothermal heating. But I guess that's Connecticut for you.

06-18-2007, 07:04 AM	#7
SIKSUKR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,075 Thanks: 215 Thanked 903 Times in 509 Posts	A btu is a btu Even at $3 a gallon for oil,a pretty efficient boiler is still twice as cheap as converting electricity to heat here with northeast electric rates.I really don't see how ceramic can be anymore than marginally more efficient than other electric resistance heat.A btu is a btu,no matter where it comes from. __________________ SIKSUKR

06-06-2007, 08:52 PM	#2
ACutAbove Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Holderness Posts: 219 Thanks: 7 Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts	I know Gouin and sons (not sure of spelling) does this. They are out of Laconia. The system is supposed to be pretty good from what I have heard. Keep us posted on what you find out.

06-18-2007, 06:51 AM	#5
SAMIAM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 2,836 Thanks: 326 Thanked 1,626 Times in 562 Posts	Puckster is right....they work well in warmer climates but can be troublesome and expensive in the north.If it were me,I'd do the foam insulation and radiant heat.Just my .02 $

06-18-2007, 08:19 PM	#8
Just Sold Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Suncook, NH, but at The Lake at Heart Posts: 2,612 Thanks: 1,082 Thanked 433 Times in 209 Posts	Just My 2 Cents SS in therory you are right but this type of heating is used in Colorado and quite effectively. Similar cold winters to NE and longer too. The system in Maine is a hot water system vs hot air which is typical out west. My brother has the hot air system in his Estes Park CO home. (It is rented for part of the year for the tourists who come to visit Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park so it needs to have good heat for the colder times.) The engineering study done for the Maine home proved the effectivness and efficiency compared to propane gas, oil and electric. The naysayers, builder, architect and others, involved with the build in ME were won over. When my brother arrives in Maine in a few weeks, he is currently driving east and visiting along the way, I will post links to the system he uses. He is thrilled with its performance and comfort using the radiant floor heating. It is a newer technology and you have to study up on it to learn the benifits. It actually saves fosil fuel costs as compared to other the methods even in getting its source from the power company. An off peak meter is used providing a good savings off regular rates. BTW I have not heard a good word about geothhermal heat in cold climates where electric costs are high such as NE. I did do my homework on geothermal last year and decided no way I would use it. On a side note an "Energy Star Rating" tag does not tell you how well a product performed or rated in testing. Always look for "Energy Star Certified" which means the product met or exceeded the standard for that product category for energy efficiency. Very few products meet the "certified" category requirements. __________________ Just Sold At the lake the stress of daily life just melts away. Pro Re Nata

06-18-2007, 09:23 PM	#9
jeffk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,130 Thanks: 201 Thanked 421 Times in 239 Posts	Reliability? Maintenance? About 15 years ago I bought a modified heat pump system for my house. I provided heat and A/C for the house as well as hot water. It was a new concept but I checked it out and it seemed fine. It worked great at first, plenty of hot water and the house could be heated as long as the outside was 10 degrees or warmer. I had a coal stove for heating backup on really cold winter nights. The electric bills were very reasonable and I was saving a lot of money, at least $500/yr. After a year and a half I started having valves stick, an exchanger burst, and finally the compressor went. I spent a ton on maintenance, some of the parts were custom and therefore VERY pricey. The only person who would work on the system was the person who installed it. The system became less and less reliable. After 4 years I had to pull the system out. I got burned for at least $5000. The moral of the story, cutting edge technology MAY prove itself but you run the risk of being a Guinea pig. Be sure you know that the system is reliable in the conditions that you plan to run it under. Do they have systems that have been running for at least 5 years? Who can maintain the system? Are they reasonably local and reliable? If there is only one tech that works on these systems in the area and he decides to move to Florida, what will you do then? When the system breaks (everything does) do you have backup? Are parts stock and available? Parts from foreign countries sometime take months to get. My personal attitude is - "Never again".