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I recently spoke to a well driller that also does geothermal well drilling. He was telling me that the systems are more or less obsolete at this point, as the
by linuxftw 4y ago
I recently spoke to a well driller that also does geothermal well drilling. He was telling me that the systems are more or less obsolete at this point, as the air-to-air units have such a high SEER rating that the ground loops really will never pay off.
- benmanns 4y agoIs geothermal any quieter? I was assuming the ground loop pump would be quieter than the air-to-air fan.
- sokoloff 4y agoThere's no outside noise in a ground-source system (for all practical values of noise: it's just flow in insulated pipes). The pumps are nearly inaudible inside the mechanical room as well. Inverter-based air-source outdoor units are nearly inaudible during any time when your neighbors are likely to have their windows open. When the weather is uncomfortable enough to have the units need to run at high-speeds, they are no longer inaudible, but the neighbors are likely to have their windows closed.
- zacharycohn 4y agoI'm looking at a system now that is 45 decibels - 10db quieter than my robovacuum which is one of the quietest in the market.
- implements 4y agoWhat attracted me to geothermal was the year round availability of 50F water - easier to extract winter heat at that temperature, and you could create a simple fan / radiator ducted air cooling system for the summer. The latter would actually store summer heat in the ground, and could be powered purely by solar.
- Bedon292 4y agoI have been doing a bunch of research into geothermal recently and this doesn't seem to match with what I have seen. But it probably also varies a lot by location and such. They appear to still be about twice as efficient as an air to air one, and have less parts and maintenance (no outside unit to deal with). Yes the initial install is a lot higher because of the drilling but that should last for decades. In the US there is also 30% rebate at tax time which helps cut the costs down a bunch too.
- linuxftw 4y agoYou're looking to spend at least $30k if you need a vertical system, probably a lot more. And from what I understand, they ground loops inevitably don't reach their expected lifespan, so you'll be drilling new holes sooner than later. If you live in a very cold climate, I suppose with tax credits it could make some sense. For most people, AC + Natural gas is the cheapest way to go.