Earth energy

[Nikki]

I stumbled upon this on one of our UK property shows (Grand Designs porbably). It looked really inetresting - getting energy from the ground.

But now I've read that although it's certainly eco-friendly, it's more expensive than gas.

here's one link:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/gen ... eat_pumps/

Anyone now more?

[UKBB]

I checked with a vendor at a home show and he told me for my 1000 sq ft house just to run the hoses in the ground and the upgrade to the electric would be between $11,000 and $13,000 USD. That didn't include the equipment and a back up furnace for when it really gets cold and the unit can't keep up. My average gas bill is $57 USD a month so even if it saves half that the payoff would still be 38 years.

[Nikki]

Good grief! 38years is a bit much. Especially with enough other alternatives.

[OurEcoHouse]

I checked with a vendor at a home show and he told me for my 1000 sq ft house just to run the hoses in the ground and the upgrade to the electric would be between $11,000 and $13,000 USD. That didn't include the equipment and a back up furnace for when it really gets cold and the unit can't keep up. My average gas bill is $57 USD a month so even if it saves half that the payoff would still be 38 years.

Well if you do not live in a very cold environment you might want to check Air-Source Heat Pumps. No cost of digging

[Nikki]

Great, will look that up. Thanks.

[ina]

And don't forget - the cost of energy is bound to rise steeply in the near to medium term future. That would make the payback period much shorter.

[Nikki]

You mean world wide?

[Thomzo]

Didn't they do a DIY ground source heat thingy on It's not easy being green recently? Can anyone remember? It couldn't have been that expensive as they were using it for a greenhouse.

I guess it's totally different if you want to heat your whole house though.

Zoe

[Nikki]

Yeah, huge amount more pipes, etc. Although, it might be a very viable option for heating something as small as a greenhouse, sepereate workshop, animal housing.....

[Martin]

be very careful...........there are several companies touting them at the moment, and grossly over-estimating their capabilities.
They will tell you of the three or four units of "free" power available, but neglect to mention that the unit you have to put in is electricity (the most expensive sort of power at 8-10p unit). Which means that if you have mains gas at around 2p unit, it is far cheaper to keep and run that system.
They are also fairly useless as a "retro fit", as the heat they produce is known as ~"low grade energy" (lowish temperature), which only works well with underfloor heating in a new build.
I'd seldom recommend one unless it was a "cost no object" new build where the owners are already generating their own electricity. Air source heatpumps work, but not at all in the very depths of winter (when you most need them)

[Nikki]

Thanks for your opinion Martin. It really is a minefield.

:)

[ina]

You mean world wide?

Well, yes, we are running out of oil worldwide, which will make it more expensive... Energy is a global problem, no doubt about it.