How Cold Before You Put On Heat ?

[Smart Red]

Was that the whole cost? What is the back up heat? Do I understand this correctly? The water is 40 or so degrees to start and then you have to heat it up from there? Electricity? Gas? Our electricity costs are the highest in the country.

That was the cost for a 5 ton system. Geothermal takes 53-ish degree water out of the ground and extracts the heat with a heat exchanger. The water, now cooled, is returned to the ground. There is no 'heating' done to the water after heat is extracted. Much like you have hot air coming from beneath your refrigerator, hotter than the air inside.

Mine is done with electricity since there's no natural gas running out here. We never had propane either. In general the heating costs run about the same as an additional refrigerator. . . much less than the cost of the fuel oil we used to burn.

Free hot water is a 'free' plus from the extra heat extracted so our electric water heater is used much less . . . almost not at all during the summer.

We may still put in a backup heating system, but we do have two fireplaces that can keep the house warm enough if needed and, living in the woods means all the wood for burning that we would need without buying cord wood.

 

[catjac1975]

That was the cost for a 5 ton system. Geothermal takes 53-ish degree water out of the ground and extracts the heat with a heat exchanger. The water, now cooled, is returned to the ground. There is no 'heating' done to the water after heat is extracted. Much like you have hot air coming from beneath your refrigerator, hotter than the air inside.

Mine is done with electricity since there's no natural gas running out here. We never had propane either. In general the heating costs run about the same as an additional refrigerator. . . much less than the cost of the fuel oil we used to burn.

Free hot water is a 'free' plus from the extra heat extracted so our electric water heater is used much less . . . almost not at all during the summer.

We may still put in a backup heating system, but we do have two fireplaces that can keep the house warm enough if needed and, living in the woods means all the wood for burning that we would need without buying cord wood.

I wonder how that would work for me with our electric costs so high. We have natural gas but heat primarily with wood. We also have a standing wood lot on our property.. We have bought some wood the last 2 years. My husband seems more hesitant about running out off the way of the falling trees with his new titanium knees. Maybe he had a close call that he did not tell me about.But our costs are low the way things are.But it sounds so very green.

 

[w_r_ranch]

We have an automatic thermostat & let the 'computer' control the HVAC. Works like a charm.

 

[canesisters]

We've had several nights in the 50's and 40's and I'm sleeping with the bedroom windows open and a couple extra blankets (and the cats) on the bed. It's still getting up in the 70's during the day, so the house is still quite comfortable. When we start to have several DAYS in the 60's then the house will get chill and the heat will have to come on. But it's usually very sporadic until late Jan or Feb. I remember a couple of Christmas's ago I had all the windows open and fans going for the big family gathering.

 

[ninnymary]

Usually mid-November.

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

Mom starts a fire in the stove when it hits the 40s at night to "take the chill off" the house in the mornings, but it's not cold enough to keep a fire going just yet. Will have to be 40s-50s all day for her to be tempted to keep a low fire going from then on.

Too hot here for that...I'm sitting in front of a fan right now and had a fan going all night.

 

[majorcatfish]

well after a week of upper 70's and low humidity, this morning we had to close up the house and turn the a/c back on, the humidity was 84% at 8 am. and with hurricane nate might as well get the humidity out of the house...they are calling for rain the next 3 days.... looking forward to be able to sleep with the windows open again...

 

[Carol Dee]

I saw this and thought it was perfect in this thread. LOL

 

[Nyboy]

 

[Nyboy]

Why freeze when we have a heat available at home ?