WaterFurnace Geothermal - A Convenient Truth

[commando7144]

a large new capacity in the past 20 years? thats a joke. but fraking and oil got to go.the devastation of the appalachian mountains are being wiped out for coal.its about fast money with no concerns for earth.

[BourneAccident]

@gvenema - Ha! That's a good one! Thanks for that... I'll use that one at work tomorrow...ROFLMAO!!!

[noclouds111]

We retrofitted our home for ductwork, installed a Geo unit (different brand) digging a 400ft well/pipe.

Using our former oil/hot water system, @ 150 gals per month during the coldest 3 MONTHS ALONE, we would be spending @ present rate 3.49 gal=$1575.

With our Geo unit, our electric bill for THE ENTIRE YEAR will be about the same. This includes desuperheater/hot water, heating & cooling.

We're glad we made the 'leap'.

[daltonagre]

Here in Brazil, there's no electricity being produced from geothermal power.

[LALMcLeod]

Geothermal is a renewable energy source that provides of to a 500% return on every dollar you spend on heating and cooling your home. Great video to explain how this geothermal loop works!

[naganokumas]

I'm curious to know how long it would take for the savings made to effectively pay for the purchase and installation of such a system.

Does anyone have any figures on this?

[ppardee]

Any closed, pressurized system is going to leak eventually... What is the lifespan of the coils? Is the antifreeze non-toxic?

[MrFrozenCanuck]

So, I guess when an older house is retro-fitted with geothermal all the drywall has to be torn out?

Also, does anybody know why there is a monthly fee if there is no utility company involved?

[WaterFurnace]

Geothermal units use the existing forced-air duct system in most instances, so no drywall would be touched. Also, geothermal systems use a small amount of electricity to move heat to and from the earth. That's why you'd still have a utility bill - although usually it's much less than you'd pay with a combustion furnace and air conditioner.

[MrFrozenCanuck]

Okay, that makes sense.

Thanks for the info.

[bigdawg1863]

@MrFrozenCanuck I would like to know if I have a crawlspace that is more than 5 feet deep , Could I just have the pipes laid on the floor without having to have it trenched into the yard . I have never seen what temp it is down there from summer to winter, but I know in summer it remains cool and in winter a little cooler.So not exactly the same temp all year , but I would say between 50-70, SO I could I save that expense of having the pipes burried, and also easier to replace if need repair

[noclouds111]

I was given several 50K+ quotes to retrofit Geo to my 1200ft home. That my electric bill will almost double gives me 0 savings when compared to a yearly $1200oil bill for heat and hot water. I believe that every installer takes advantage of the many incentives by gouging us.

My grandchildren would never see return on investment.

[mossman8787]

depending on the grade of your building materials in your house and the insulation and some other things your quotes should have only been around the 25 - 30 k mark. Considering the cost of a high efficiency furnace replacement can be 8 - 14 k its not that bad. Also depending on what kind on install you are getting (lake, vertical, horizontal) that can also drive the cost down for installs that take less material and labour, ie the lake and horizontal.

[ArroncoComfortAir]

Great video on the many benefits of geothermal.

[UnitTheWorld]

løl

[dahur]

I got a quote for geothermal system here in southern New Mexico. $7500 per ton installed, and I require 4 tons. $30,000.

And of course the contractor says he has a 10 per cent possible overage built into his contracts. (like that won't be used) Here there is a 40% Federal, and state tax credits. Brings it to $18k. But something people don't think about is your property taxes are GOING UP. That is, unless you live in one of the 26 states that exempt for renewable systems. NM doesn't, (yet).

[dahur]

If there is a dispute from someone about the property tax on renewable energy systems, I contacted our accessor for Otero county. He told me for every $20,000 investment, my taxes will increase about $100 per year. The only relief I would get, is if NM passes legislation to exempt the cost from the property tax.

I'm ready to spend the big bucks, but it's on hold. The way it is now, just doesn't work for me.

[urlborg]

if you pay $3-5k per year to heat (or cool) at 80% efficiency you waste $1-2k blowing heat out a chimney or off an AC unit in your garden. If on the other hand you spend only $1-2k on energy and store heat in the ground (cooling) or reclaim it (heating) at 300% efficiency you save $2-3k per year forever! Taxes are irrelevant...

[wsst1000]

We have a WaterFurnace with loop that has 5 holes 150 feet deep. Love it, but municipal-water based systems from Encore Energy Systems eliminate the loop field by using the temperature from a municipal water main instead. This is the way to go if you can. All the benefits without the cost of a loop field.

[sportster16301]

I don't have the area nor the resources to dig wells or trenches for a geothermal water source heat pump, so why can't I use a hot water tank instead to supply the water to the pump if I only use it for heating? Set the temp to a vacation setting and it should be maintained at about 90 degrees with a minimum of gas usage. At this temp, the heat pump should run very efficiently. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[urlborg]

the problem is summed up in the concept of "sinking" - the earth is a huge solar heat sink, your water tank is not! Essentially you will freeze your hot water tank or it will use a much huger amount of 90% efficiency, fossil-fuel generated heat (blowing much out a chimney and running full tilt) in order to maintain some warmed-water source for the heat pump - there is only a free lunch here - deep underground!

[k9forkids]

Seems like very simplistic technology, I know the average system install is around 18K but most of this is in the labor to install the piping and removing the old system. Im not an HVAC technician but I'm pretty sure I can install this system or similar myself and save thousands of dollars.

[gtown8764]

I have a 14 year old premier 2 system and have invested over $6,500 in repairs over the years. Save money except the repair and parts are like gold. Make sure you get the 10 year warranty and always buy the extended. The A coil was $1300 and the compressor motor with the expansion valve is a $3,400 repair. Each external loop pump are $500 each

[rvbarnesboy]

Just watched your video on the waterfurnace site. This wonderful technology is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. This should take off soon. The replacement of existing furnaces with fossil guel units no longer makes sense.  join the underground and join geo.

[Morasch]

I have had a WaterFurnace system since 1992 and could not be happier. I got one of the first two speed units made, and have had minimal trouble. The last service call was over 5 years ago. Cleaning the electronic air filter is about the only maintenance the unit needs. The energy savings are incredible!

[EdBrune]

Is it usually necessary to change the vent sizes when moving to a geothermal system? This house was built in the middle 60's. It is presently heated with natural gas ( forced hot air) and airconditioned.

[scottmn1]

I built my new house a year ago and had a geothermal systyem installed and I couldn't be happier!! I heat and cool 4500 sq ft and my electric bll averages about $100.00. I would say that probably about $60.00 of that $100.00 each month is for electricity for my lights, stove, oven, tv's, stereo, fridge, freezers, etc. That leaves me to believe that on average it only actually costs me about $1.50 a day for my heating or cooling. I love it!!!!!!

[alijannati1]

What was the cost per ton and how many tons of geothermal system did you have installed?

[pidos847]

Geothermal systems are the best way to heat and cool your home. they are the most efficient and require the least amount of maintenance. They barely use any electricity and the indoor air quality is the cleanest due to better air filtration. Geothermal systems pay off for themselves in savings within 3-5 years and last longer than 100 years. Stop using fossil fuels to heat your home and use a clean natural non polluting technology like geothermal systems.

[crzyluke]

its just water... jetted down to the molten part of the earth, heated, and sent back to the surface and from there its the same as anything else. the whole process just eliminates fossil fuels. and lets the hot parts of earth do the heating of the water. i read an article today that was talking about how a city in sweden was using the crematorium as 10% of there energy... good idea.

[mdwils]

Oh its not quite to the molten part of the earth! LMAO

[kapalikan]

mdwils is right.

At every place, the ground, a particular depth below the earth stays at a constant 10 degrees celsius. A heat pump can efficiently extract heat from this temperature.

It is like an outdoor heat pump, except the coil is not outside, but underground. Since it does not freeze up, you can use it all year.

I think it could be used for cooling too, since 18 - 21 degrees C is comfortable for humans, and if underground, it is 10 degrees C, nothing to prevent you from heat exchanging

[JustPlaneNuts]

Thats cool idea.

[rozzaa72]

yeah

[96Smile96]

for geothermal is there any less chance of a fire? plz someone answer its for a project!

[gingercat2222]

From my own research there is less chance of a fire becuse no fuel is used. It uses electrical. No chimney reqired, no CO2 emmisions.

[Morasch]

A lot less chance for a fire as nothing is burned. There is no flame. The system simply moves heat from the ground into the building. Rarely does it get over 100 degrees. No need for anything more.

[skoolshewz]

I've had a ground source system since August 2006. My house has about 2000 sqft of climatized space. I have paid $75/mo for electricity on average over the past 16 months. That includes hvac, cooking, lights and hot water. My power company charges $0.046 per kwh which is very cheap. Our rates just went up this month. I should still be paying less than $100 on average. This system is the future. It's expensive at first but the payback is short with today's fuel prices.

[NatureInspiredWorld]

Did you know about the new Geothermal energy rebates?

[bludrums]

Excellent presentation and product.Although this is not new technology.Tesla had plans for geothermal energy on a very much larger scale.

[WaterFurnace]

Great question, dursunmoore. The figures come from a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study. The NREL is the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research & development(R&D). It's part of the Department of Energy. The study is "Technical Report NREL/TP-840-40665."

It shows the resource base in relationship to each other - of all available resources, geothermal makes up the majority at 39.2%.

Feel free to post any other questions you may have.

[dursunmoore]

Great product.Just curious, where did you get the percentage estimates about useable renewables, and are those estimates based on current technology? I have read that Earth receives radiation from the sun of about 10,000 times the amount of energy we comsume.

[BPSWIMWF]

This is a great and simple presentation on the benefits and comfort of a WaterFurnace geothermal heating, cooling and hot water system. I am on my second home with WaterFurnace in it and I would not have anything else in my home. My utility bills are typical half what my neighbors experience. In fact, my neighbors get tired of me asking them about their bills and then sharing mine with them. WaterFurnace is "Smarter from the Ground Up"!

Bob (Kentucky)

[knoblochbk]

Very good presentation and explanation on how these systems work. I can't wait for my existing "fossil fuel" burner to die!

[timlitton]

Wow. This seems like a great idea. I'm always reading about solar and windmills but geothermal heating is definitely a practical way to help the environment - and the payback is so much faster!

I checked out the WaterFurnace website. The savings calculator is such a great tool! We need more environmentally responsible companies like this one. Keep up the good work.

[energypath]

As an installer and owner of these systems I can atest to the efficiency. Average of $70 / month to heat and cool and provide hot water in a 5600 sq.ft. house.

[cigarstub]

Excellent. It would have been better had you addressed the higher initial cost of installing geothermal systems when compared to conventional systems. An educated consumer will understand that the energy savings (or variable cost of maintaining a home) more than justify the higher installation costs. Many aren't confronted by this reality until they compare quotes, which often results in sticker shock. But otherwise this video does a great job of presenting the many upsides to geothermal.

[725992]

Totally awesome! You guys rock! Everybody needs what you make to help save the planet.