Radiant or Geothermal Heat?
- Thread starter Paddy
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I have a finished portion of the basement with radiant heat, and it would not be nearly as comfortable without it.
One portion is a guest bedroom and bath. With the radiant heat, the floor stays nice and warm, and you don't even feel like you are in a basement at all.
The other area is a family room with home theater. When you take your shoes off, or if the kids lay on the carpeted floor, its a lot more comfortable. Without the radiant heat, these rooms would be a lot less comfortable places to use.
The other portion of the basement is a workshop. There the radiant heat is nice because it doesn't circulate any air to/from that area. Fumes and dust generated in the workshop are not circulated into the remainder of the house.
Each of the areas is on its own zone. I generally keep the shop set down around 55 degrees unless I am going to be doing some painting or something that needs higher temps or if I know I am going to be working in there the whole weekend or something.
The guest bedroom is kept around 60 degrees when unoccupied. There was that one time when my mother-in-law came to visit and we forgot to turn the heat back up again, though... I swear, it wasn't on purpose!
- Rick
One portion is a guest bedroom and bath. With the radiant heat, the floor stays nice and warm, and you don't even feel like you are in a basement at all.
The other area is a family room with home theater. When you take your shoes off, or if the kids lay on the carpeted floor, its a lot more comfortable. Without the radiant heat, these rooms would be a lot less comfortable places to use.
The other portion of the basement is a workshop. There the radiant heat is nice because it doesn't circulate any air to/from that area. Fumes and dust generated in the workshop are not circulated into the remainder of the house.
Each of the areas is on its own zone. I generally keep the shop set down around 55 degrees unless I am going to be doing some painting or something that needs higher temps or if I know I am going to be working in there the whole weekend or something.
The guest bedroom is kept around 60 degrees when unoccupied. There was that one time when my mother-in-law came to visit and we forgot to turn the heat back up again, though... I swear, it wasn't on purpose!
- Rick
dooleysm
Platinum Member
My house is around 2300 square feet on the first and second floors. The bulk of the square footage is on the first floor. The upstairs only has 2 bedrooms and a good sized full bath. The basement is the same size as the first floor. We have ducts down there and plan to finish it at some point, but as of now, it's just storage, and we don't have the ducts open.
My brother-in-law, the architect for the family construction company, generally tells folks that with a 2500 square foot house, a geothermal system will pay for itself in 8-10 years.
Additionally, they are a regional supplier for and build most of their homes with RewardWall ICF's (Insulating Concrete Forms). We used these in our basement and were very pleased. They are lego-looking blocks of styrofoam that you set on a footer. You stack them up, cut windows and doors in, lay rebar in them, and then pour your basement into them. They stay up and add a very significant amount of insulation, both inside and out.
They've done whole houses in them. You can't tell a difference when the house is finished. They claim you can heat your house with a match. In fact, in one house they built the family bought a ventless LP fireplace for the basement. They returned it because they couldn't run it. It got too hot in the house.
My brother-in-law, the architect for the family construction company, generally tells folks that with a 2500 square foot house, a geothermal system will pay for itself in 8-10 years.
Additionally, they are a regional supplier for and build most of their homes with RewardWall ICF's (Insulating Concrete Forms). We used these in our basement and were very pleased. They are lego-looking blocks of styrofoam that you set on a footer. You stack them up, cut windows and doors in, lay rebar in them, and then pour your basement into them. They stay up and add a very significant amount of insulation, both inside and out.
They've done whole houses in them. You can't tell a difference when the house is finished. They claim you can heat your house with a match. In fact, in one house they built the family bought a ventless LP fireplace for the basement. They returned it because they couldn't run it. It got too hot in the house.
flwiii
Gold Member
Would the opposite be true? Could I cool the house with an ice cube?
thcri
Elite Member
Out of town a lot lately so I am way behind on TBN. Anyway we do a bit of Geo-thermal and the last house we did we used a water to water heat pump. Along with a storage tank and domestic water heater this system did all of the wirsbo in the winter by heating the water in the storage tank and then the storage tank heated the pipes in the floor. This system also heated the domestic water with electric heat coils for back up. Then in the summer we chill the water so we can send the water to an air handler with a water coil in it. This coil can also be used for heat if we wish. This system works great and the customer has the comfort of the wirsbo heat.
We are also doing a house right now that has 5 water to water heater pumps in it. The loop for this system is a 25 ton loop. Again wirsbo throughout the house for heat and air and ten air handlers for air distribution in the summer time with chilled water coils.
Works great.
murph
We are also doing a house right now that has 5 water to water heater pumps in it. The loop for this system is a 25 ton loop. Again wirsbo throughout the house for heat and air and ten air handlers for air distribution in the summer time with chilled water coils.
Works great.
murph
dooleysm
Platinum Member
Perhaps, but you'd be standing in a puddle of water once all the humidity condensed.
Piedmont3
Silver Member
We built a new home last year. approx 2700 sq ft. 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath. We have a geothermal heat and air unit.
Our Pipes/loops are in 6 each 4" diameter wells that are 115 feet deep.
Our heating and air conditioning bill has been wonderful in our new house. We also spent good money on very good windows, and additional insulation. Our house is total electric. including water well pump. Our largest electric bill so far has been $128 and change.
Here is the kind of unit we bought.
Water Furnace
The difference in the up front cost is quite substantial.
The Local Heat and Air Contractor qouted us $12,800.00 for the highest efficiency electric heat pump and central air conditioning system they sold.
The Geothermal unit cost us $20,500.00. The man that installed the system is someone I have known and done business with for about 15 years. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
It didn't seem to help with the cost. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
The man that dug the wells for the loops used the same kind of truck/machine that the water well driller used.
I am sorry I don't have the cost of the individual pieces.
Hope this helps.
Jeff
Our Pipes/loops are in 6 each 4" diameter wells that are 115 feet deep.
Our heating and air conditioning bill has been wonderful in our new house. We also spent good money on very good windows, and additional insulation. Our house is total electric. including water well pump. Our largest electric bill so far has been $128 and change.
Here is the kind of unit we bought.
Water Furnace
The difference in the up front cost is quite substantial.
The Local Heat and Air Contractor qouted us $12,800.00 for the highest efficiency electric heat pump and central air conditioning system they sold.
The Geothermal unit cost us $20,500.00. The man that installed the system is someone I have known and done business with for about 15 years. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
It didn't seem to help with the cost. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
The man that dug the wells for the loops used the same kind of truck/machine that the water well driller used.
I am sorry I don't have the cost of the individual pieces.
Hope this helps.
Jeff