Pricing is not allowed.

Why no tax credit?
BOSCH is a great unit but for specific markets. There are plenty of options available.

As far as GEO, what’s the cost of getting to the water and getting rid of it ?

 

What is your main goal here? Saving on your energy bills, or going green? What kind of an ROI are you expecting?

If you're not sure how much you might save by going geothermal or ASHP, post your energy rates here and we can help you calculate. I would recommend having the Bosch guy give you another quote for just basic AC units (I presume you're in a northern climate with relatively low AC hours), which would help you see the premium you'd be paying over just replacing AC (which probably will happen soon anyway) to help calculate ROI.

Another option you might want to consider is a more powerful cold climate heat pump like Mitsubishi Hyper Heat. With this option you could probably eliminate oil entirely, at a much lower up front cost than geothermal.

As for smart thermostats, they can be a a nice convenience feature, and good for tracking your energy usage, but in my experience most people won't see much if any savings from them.

 

Prices removed. They are not allowed here.

 

Thanks for your replies. Sorry about the prices--first post. Let's just say geothermal would be significantly more expensive than just replacing the a/c units with air-source heat pumps. There was little difference in price between the ASHPs and traditional A/Cs, so I figured the ASHPs make more sense if I go that route, because they can pitch in on the heating. I live in Westchester Country, NY.

I guess my main motivation is going more green, so long as I'm not squandering money. I sometimes wonder how the environmental toll of replacing equipment early compares with the reduced fuel use. The main thing tempting me to act now is that 26% federal tax credit, which is only for geothermal, not ASHPs. So I guess it's really a choice between goethermal now, or ASHPs at some future date, when my 18 year-old A/Cs fail.

 

I don't really see the point in looking at the tax credit in isolation - with geo being so expensive in the first place, the tax credit is more than canceled out. I saw your prices before they were deleted - your after-tax-credit geo price was massively higher than the ASHP price. And while I would need more information like your location and utility rates to calculate, frankly I can't see geo having a reasonable ROI over the ASHP options.

The problem for geo is that modern ASHPs have gotten so good. Since ASHPs are so much cheaper to install, geo needs to be massively better than the best ASHP to make any economic sense. And these days, it just isn't. I would go so far as to argue that residential geothermal is effectively obsolete at this point, and this will be even more the case once the tax credit expires.

As for the environmental toll of replacing equipment early, I often wonder about that myself, but at nearly 20 years those AC's have given good service, and R22 is crazy expensive these days so it may not be cost-effective to service them much longer.

 

Definitely will check out that Mitsubishi Hyper Heat--thank you.

 

4K sqft and 4 air handlers.

Was this a zoned type set up, each unit for a specific space to condition it interdependently?

Why "smart" thermostats?

 

There are four zones with independent thermostats. Right now I have to walk around to adjust each of them separately. I was thinking of getting ones that I could program from my phone. Financially, of course, my main decision is whether or not to replace everything with geothermal. Thanks.

 

Yeah, I think you've gotten to the heart of it. ASHPs seem to capture a large part of the benefit of geothermal, especially relative to the cost difference. Plus, if I go the ASHP route, there's no need to hurry, because there's no 26% tax credit that expires next year. So I can hold off for a couple of years if I want, at which point the ASHP efficiency might even be a smidgen better. Thank you.

 

The main thing tempting me to act now is that 26% federal tax credit, which is only for geothermal, not ASHPs.

Don’t you have rebates in your state for installing energy star rated matched Heat Pump or straight A/C system meeting a minimum SEER and HSPF threshold that give you money in your pocket? Ever had a Heat Pump before? Typically cooler discharge air temperatures, defrosts.

Hybrid system, Heat Pump and existing heat source, HP on warmer days, oil on cooler days?

One source for rebates, even thermostats may apply. Check with your local utility company also.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...yqDNgQFnoECAwQAw&url=https://www.dsireusa.org/&usg=AOvVaw19WUxQBTiQc0GVu13UMfK_

 

If you go geo, make sure you have a very good well guy. Geothermal is much more efficient than any ASHP on the market. The cost is a big inhibitor. From my experience, if installed properly, the geo’s last longer as well.
If you can afford it, go geo. If budget is important go ASHP. Get rid of that oil crap. I used to work on them years ago, glad I decline them now a days.