geothermal or modcon

[Deleted User]

That is what usually drives the bus. Once you've determined your cost of fuel, you then have to look at the potential for long range inflation.

You also have to look at the utility billing structure.

For example, in some situations, you can not operate on KWH alone, and are charged a significant billing DEMAND factor that can turn the economics upside down in a heart beat. Don't ask me how I know this...

If you are in an area where KWH costs are reasonable, once you've determined your cost per therm (100K btu's), for the electrical, you can divide that cost by 3 (COP of 3:1) to determined your delivered cost per therm using the GSHP.

For natural gas, take your cost per therm and divide by .95 to reflect seasonal efficiency.

The biggest single cost of going GSHP around here is the cost of drilling the vertical boreholes. The installed cost is 3 X's the cost of a high efficiency system.

Generally speaking, these systems really shine in AC mode. They are a lot more efficient when sending BTU's IN to the ground, as opposed to dragging them kicking and screaming UP hill...

ME

heatguy

what do you think

was wondering what would be best bang for the buck geothermal or modcon in north jersey.doing some research on geo and seem to be hearing that the geo systems while very green may not save any green in the long run.alot of variables involved i know but what do you think

Mike T., Swampeast MO

> Generally speaking, these systems

> really shine in AC mode. They are a lot more

> efficient when sending BTU's IN to the ground, as

> opposed to dragging them kicking and screaming UP

> hill...

>

> ME




That's why the first geo system I saw in Pocahontas, AR was also the most interesting. The geo source was a spring of unvarying* temperature. The water for the geo system as well as domestic use was via a "gravity pump" that if I remember properly delivered about 1 gallon "up" for every 15 that went "down".

*the owner/co-inventor of the system had a 12" or so glass and mercury thermometer with a temp range of only about 10F that he used to monitor the spring temperature. "53.4 degrees minus nothing and only plus 0.3 degrees during a historic flood."