Geothermal heat pump: first winter results

[Country Geek]

Last fall I had my HVAC system replaced with a dual-fuel geothermal heat pump, and I had a thread here for the install.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/322143-geothermal-heat-pump-install-crawlspace.html

Now that the first heating season is over, I can look at the data on how it performed, and compare it to the previous system. I'm pretty happy with it overall. Here are three blog posts I wrote on it:

Part 1 recapping the system: Unjustified Precision: Geothermal Heat Pump part 1: The new system
Part 2 how did it perform: Unjustified Precision: Geothermal Heat Pump, part 2: first winter performance
Part 3 how much money did it save: Unjustified Precision: Geothermal Heat Pump part 3: How much did it save?

 

[dpb800]

Sounds good, we installed a split Geo system a few years ago and have seen significant savings while being more comfortable as well. We didn't track cost as closely as you but can tell for sure with what we do see that it has saved a significant amount.

 

[fishheadbob]

I'm very happy with mine. My old method of heating was wood with a 30 year old oil backup and propane exclusively for hot water. Most winters would average around 18 face cords of quality wood, perhaps 200 gallons of oil mostly during away periods, and way too much for propane - small user gouged by the local company. I never saw -24 before in my life, but this was a particularly brutal winter, even for Buffalo. I did burn 3 or 4 cords as I had it, and old habits die hard, but this would have been closer to a 25 cord winter. The 1830's vintage house was kept at 70 degrees, used to be 67, propane bills went away, and electric bills went up. Meanwhile I qualified for an agricultural discount reducing my cost per KWH from 15 cents to 7.5 cents.
My conclusion is that my old back really appreciates not having to make and handle that much firewood, my house is maintained at a normal temperature, and my overall utility cost are slightly a smidgen higher.
On the other hand the cost of the 5 ton Waterfurnace was staggering.

 

[doxford jim]

My property came with the Waterfurnace geo system already installed. My electricity usage is fairly high but steady - though the cost keeps on rising due to price increases. Can't compare to gas or wood as I haven't used either except propane as a backup to the geo.
My instincts tell me that the geo is generally cheaper over all, but getting there would be expensive.
During last winter (2014) it was bad here, down to -35C quite a bit, but my electricity bill for heat, light and water was around $275 a month and that is for everything. Given the house is nearly 3,000 sf, that is a pretty good price in my opinion.

My system is probably 20 years old and the few repairs I have had to do have been expensive.

 

[MacLawn]

Sounds great, Geek! I've been following your other thread with interest, and am glad to see this report. So, seems you saved about $1,000 this heating season compared to LP. Our Georgia house is total electric, and well insulated, but I hate to be cold (fibromyalgia pain), so we keep it about 74º. Same in summer, we keep it about 73º. I just canno' tolerate extremes in temperature while inside not doing physical work. Our current heat pump was installed in 2003, cost me $5,900 just for inside and outside units! It's a Carrier Puron high efficiency unit, bills in winter about $150, summer about same, except August it's usually about $220.

I love that encapsulated crawl space idea! Seems strange thought to be heating and cooling crawl space. But, hey, I know what you mean about all that condensate mess from being cool in summer under there. My crawl space has vapor barrier, but still has a bit o' moisture. As soon as I'm home long enough, I'm having some geo boys come out to take a look and see if I need to sell one or two kidneys and one hind leg.

 

[roadhunter]

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. Thanks for sharing.

 

[davesl708]

I installed a ground loop geo three years ago. Love every minute of it. My heating and cooling cost are half what the old gas system was.
With a total electric house my largest heating bill this winter was $161. We have had a lot of days below the normal for this area.
I also love the fact that I do not have to listen to that outside condenser running in the summer. Makes for a very quite evening when sitting outside.

 

[wngsprd]

Thanks for the great blog on your system and the tracking. I like your encapsulation.

We installed a ground loop system in 1998, and had to replace the unit under our house a couple of years ago...went with the ClimateMaster - have been very happy.

 

[MacLawn]

Well boys, I contacted our local geothermal guy on their web site, so I hope to hear from them today. The Carrier unit I had installed in '03 is still working good for heat/cool, BUT, that thing has leaked condensate on my floor from the beginning, plus, I've spent over $2,000 on repairs since it was installed! I'll keep y'all posted in a different thread if/when I go geothermal. But, I'd like to get'er done this summer. I'm still researching brands, but for now, I'm leaning to that Water Furnace brand. Contractor here handles Water Furnace, Bosch, and one or two more I think.

And, Geek, thanks a lot for that updated report on savings the first winter. And, this was a tough winter for sure!

 

[davesl708]

Well boys, I contacted our local geothermal guy on their web site, so I hope to hear from them today. The Carrier unit I had installed in '03 is still working good for heat/cool, BUT, that thing has leaked condensate on my floor from the beginning, plus, I've spent over $2,000 on repairs since it was installed! I'll keep y'all posted in a different thread if/when I go geothermal. But, I'd like to get'er done this summer. I'm still researching brands, but for now, I'm leaning to that Water Furnace brand. Contractor here handles Water Furnace, Bosch, and one or two more I think.

And, Geek, thanks a lot for that updated report on savings the first winter. And, this was a tough winter for sure!

MacLawn, I went with Water Furnace. Could not beat the warranty and the long track record of their products. Four years later they still call twice a year to see if everything is working ok.