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Heat-Pump Systems Get Down To Earth
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"A geothermal system is one option, but if you're looking at the overall price point, the overall investment, there are things that can be done to reduce the energy use of a house" before putting one in, he said.
Those include effective insulation, the proper windows for the climate, and a good mechanical ventilation system to keep the inside air in and outside air out.
"How much money a family can afford to put into it really determines the approach they use," James said. "There isn't just one magic bullet -- if you do this, wow, your energy bill is going to be zero."
Wilson said making a house energy-efficient is key to getting the most out of a geothermal system.
"A geothermal system is a big investment, and I would never encourage someone to install one unless they captured some of the lower-hanging fruit in terms of energy efficiency," he said.
One of the big costs of geothermal systems comes from having to put pipes into the ground. They can be buried, either parallel to the ground or perpendicular, in large wells. Some yards are too small for horizontal pipes or have objects in the way, such as swimming pools or septic systems, Lesser said.
Either pipe layout can be used with a closed- or open-loop system. An open-loop system pulls in groundwater to run through the pipes and then lets that water back out. A closed-loop system has a constant supply of liquid, generally water or a mix including water, that circulates. While open-loop systems are slightly more efficient, there are concerns that they deplete the groundwater and then eject that water back out, possibly with contaminants, Wilson said.
Scott Sklar recently had a geothermal system installed at his house in Arlington. He runs the Stella Group, an energy-focused marketing and policy firm, and said he was recommending geothermal systems to his clients and wanted to say that he used one, too.
"There is no question that has a pretty fast payback once you can go through all the pain of doing the drilling and laying the pipes," he said.
