geothermal..

[JordonMusser]

Looking at doing a Goethermal AC in the new house (cause I am Green and all..)

Anybody have a connection with a local company that does quality work? "Phone quotes" have been all over the map.

[2K2 LS1]

Looking at doing a Goethermal AC in the new house (cause I am Green and all..)

Anybody have a connection with a local company that does quality work? "Phone quotes" have been all over the map.

Sweet!!! My drafting instructor in High School did one on his house he built in Rockwall.

[JordonMusser]

its definitely a cool technology, but good lord the quotes I have gotten vary, and even the cheaper aren't cheap :-p

[8mpg]

Way too expensive. Do some more research online and you will see how amazingly expensive it is. Unless you get some nonsense 40% off tax credit it will take you a lifetime to break even. I'm guessing $40k minimum for a geothermal setup

[JordonMusser]

30%.

[ceyko]

The home I bought has it, I can look up the installer when I have a minute if you'd like. It is a "Hydro-Temp" unit incase you're interested...etc...etc.

[zora04]

The house I purchased three years ago already had a geothermal system. 3400 sq ft house with an air conditioned 3 car garage, and our electric bill has been over $200 twice. The initial cost is expensive, but if you are planning on being in that house for awhile I say do it. The only draw back I have found is not having any experienced service people. However, the only problem I've had with mine has been related to the water well. It didn't take much troubleshooting for me to figure it out on my own. There are a couple of changes I plan on doing with mine, but overall its a great system. If you have any questions or need some ideas shoot me a pm.

[JordonMusser]

That is awesome, thanks for the feedback. I have about 3600sqft of living space, with a 1500sqft attached garage. I want the option to cool/heat the garage later on. even with foam insulation and all the goodies, I figure I will be in the $400/month range during the summer in electrical.

I plan on being here a long time. Probably forever if I dont change job locations dramatically.

[ceyko]

My home is a similar size, SIPs construction and running it costs about 400ish during the summer - keeping it fairly cool compared to most people. That 400ish includes the 1001 light bulbs my wife likes to keep on and my shop AC too. (just a window unit)

zora04 does bring up a good point, it is a bitch to find people to service/check it out. One company charged me 150 dollars in travel time (location more than anything), and the other I tried just wanted to sell me new stuff.

I'd also recommend installing a whole house air filter while you're doing the install. Chump change in comparison. A lot of the houses around me have geothermal, and it is at night not having to listen to those outside units. Nice and peaceful.

[JordonMusser]

yea, I am interested in SIP construction as well, bridging that with my builder. I dont think he has done it before, so we will likely not got that route (stick with framing+spray foam)

[ceyko]

yea, I am interested in SIP construction as well, bridging that with my builder. I dont think he has done it before, so we will likely not got that route (stick with framing+spray foam)

IMHO, a well built/insulated home probably is just as good. The sound proofing is nice, but sometimes big stuff goes on outside that we never hear. haha

Just my opinion on that though.

[JordonMusser]

My big thing is the straightness of the walls. I am building a modern home, so I plan to have very smooth finishes on drywall and exterior stucco.

[8mpg]

No offense but how long is it going to take to make up $40k in electric bill differences? I have seen quotes on greenbuildingtalk that were $80k. $40k would be a very cheap system. Even with a 30% tax credit, you talking 15+ years before you break even and that is assuming you'd save $200 a month on your bills.

If I were you, Id just build an efficient house (possibly with SIPS, though there are not many builders locally that do them) and have your house sealed. Id go with a 18 seer a/c unit. Foam sheeting on the outside under the stucco sealed with tape. Seal all your windows and doors well. Spray foam for the roof

I have been though many model homes recently and some of them with spray foam guarantee $200 or less electric bills based on a 16 seer a/c, heat pump and 3000sq ft. From all the research I have done into geothermal, it is not a very good return on investment. It is best for people that live in colder climates up north.

[Vertnut]

I wouldn't even consider geothermal. Waaaay too many options out there. To me, other than the attic, foam isn't even necessary to have a very efficient house. The last house I was in was almost 3000ft. had 13 seer units, was all electric, and I rarely had $200 bills. 15/16 seer is the norm now, and with great windows and doors and a nice insulation package, you can have a very efficient place for a very reasonable price. Having it all correctly/carefully installed is the key to any of it working. It's not rocket science. Some folks forget that we're in Texas, not Nome, Alaska.

[JordonMusser]

Interesting, thanks for the information. Its a new build, so the "cost delta" should only be 20K or so, take the 30% out of the 40K and its actually not that huge of a number.