Live Q&As

That's a great idea for my next book project!

I too looked for books early on, and largely found textbooks. That's not the best starting point, as they are too technical.

Here are some sources I found helpful getting started: 

U.S. Department on Energy:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/geothermal_basics.html (Overview of geothermal energy)

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/heatpumps.html (geothermal heat pumps)

California Energy Commission’s Consumer Energy Center’s site:

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/geothermal.html

International Ground Source Heat Pump Association

http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/geothermal/geothermal.htm

Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium (trade association for the geothermal heat pump industry)

http://www.geoexchange.org/

And then talk to people, get contractors out go bid on a potential project (and pepper them with all kinds of questions).

We've been warm, thankfully. Traditional heat pumps move air and work to extract heat from the air (in the heating season). That's why heat pumps generally get a bad rap, because when it's really cold outside they have to work that much harder to extract the heat from the cold air, and homeowners with traditional heat pumps complain that the house doesn't get warm (enough) in the really cold weather.

Keep in mind, the starting point for the geothermal heat pump is in the mid- to upper 50s. It's coaxing heat from the fluid in the loop. So the starting point is closer to the desired temperature. The geothermal heat pumps don't have to work as hard, and they are more efficient. We've been pleased, even during this colder-than-usual winter.

ClimateMaster. Two of the three bidders recommended the brand and model. I looked at the specs and went on some forums to see if there were major problems or not (didn't see any). It -- along with many other brands -- is listed as Energy Star-rated products that qualify for the tax credits. 

Thanks what we're hoping. We've been focused on the heating season so far. But we're really looking forward to chill out this summer.

Thanks. It feels good to save money (a lot of it in the long run) and doing our part for Planet Earth.

I've been surprised that when alternative or renewable energy is talked about in the larger conversation, geothermal is typically not in the mix (at least at the residential and small commercial level).  Solar, wind and other alternatives are often mentioned. 

Yes,  on the radiant floor heating, and I believe on the radiator scenario as well. I know someone who hooked up the geothermal to melt snow and ice on his driveway. You can also heat pools.

We actually have a screened-in porch that we may capture as part of a family room down the road. Because of that, we put in the geothermal system and set up the hot water in a fashion that we can easily do radiant floor heating should we do that project in four to five years. 

Geothermal provides a quicker payback compared to other renewable energies, I've been told several times.

Each person's return on investment will differ based on net costs. With the tax credits available to us in Montgomery County, Maryland, we've calculated ours to be about three-and-a-half years on the geothermal alone.

In short, geothermal can be done in many different places, and even on small plots of land. You don't need much property for the vertical closed loop system we did. 

I've been told there is an engineering solution for everything. Of course, that could impact cost. Most likely, any limitation is based on the rules of your local jurisdiction.

As a general rule, geothermal makes the best financial sense when you're building a new. It also makes sense if you do a retrofit or replace an aging system. The financing of the geothermal when building can also be an advantage. 

I think you're on to something. I asked myself and several of the contractors that same question. No one could come up with a reason why it couldn't be done. I think it comes down to thinking a bit differently.

Second question: As a rule, you drill 150 feet for each ton your system your home is outfitted with. We have a 4-ton unit, but went deeper for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is the possible renovation we may do on our home in four to five years that I mentioned previously. I figured I'd also plan for the future.

In a nutshell, not quite as good, but there are some available.

Maryland offers a grant program and residents can get up to $3,000 for going geothermal, depending on the size unit.

Virginia offers up to $2,000 rebate on geothermal heat pumps. 

Both Virginia and Maryland offer larger tax incentives for commercial buildings.

Check out http://www.dsireusa.org/ -- a great resource to track down the financial incentives offered in your neck of the woods.

Montgomery and Prince George’s counties offer really nice property tax credits, and some other Maryland counties also offer financial perks.

Local tax incentives in DC and Virginia do not seem to be as robust. 

Meanwhile, check out Energy Star program’s details on saving with geothermal heat pumps/energy

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=HP  

Regarding the additional years of payback: that's a personal decision, and you've got to run the numbers. But I'd say yes.

I don't see why not, but you'd have to be on really good terms with your neighbor.

More than we expected. If we did what we ended up doing from the get go, we'd have half the landscaping to do.

I got an estimate to seed for $400 and to sod the areas for $1,400. Otherwise, it would be about half that. In the end, I may see or sod myself. Still, that's better than the landscaping for a horizontal system.

4-ton unit. We drilled for a 5-ton unit (went deeper) for the reasons explained above.

The associated costs and savings will be fodder for a follow-up piece.

In terms of back-up source of heat, we will rely on our high efficient, tankless hot water system (which runs off propane) as our back-up source of heat for that "one to two percent" of time the geothermal can't keep up because it gets so cold or should the system go off line for any reason. Good news is that even during this cold winter, we haven't had to rely on back up.

It was preferable for us to go vertical, as I mentioned in the article, both cost wise and as a practical matter.

You would definitely need some land for the horizontal set up. I've read conflicting reports about the costs. From my personal experience, the bid we got on the horizontal set up was several thousand dollars more than for the vertical closed loop system.

Yes, permits are needed, and we also had a couple of inspections. You're going to test my memory on this. One was needed from the state for well drilling, if I remember correctly, and the county needed to provide a permit, too. A county inspector also came out to see that it was done properly (at the end). Our hot water set up also required permits and inspections. All of them were painless, as the contractors handled those.  

I remember 10 years ago, no contactor would install a tankless hot water heater, even though they are the standard in many parts of Europe. That's changed here now.

I think the geothermal is the same. The more people hear about it, ask and demand it, the more things will change and become easier. 

Traditional heat pumps work differently than geothermal heat pumps as the starting point for heating and cooling. The starting point (in this area) is mid- to upper 50s in terms of the fluid in the loops that is brought into the geothermal heat pump. So the efficiency problems that traditional heat pumps suffer (i.e. extracting heat from cold air) isn't applicable to geothermal heat pumps. 

Whehter one is need or not I'm not positive. But all three bidders included that as standard operating procedure. I look at it this way: Before if my furnance went out, I didn't have a back up source of heat. Now I do, if the geothermal heat pump goes off line or gets into the "one to two percent" of time where it needs a bit of help because it is so cold out. Again, we haven't found a need for the back up during the recent cold spells. 

Thanks for all your great questions. Gotta run.