Ok, first the obligatories: I have lurked and occasionally responded to posts as a homeowner, and have found the discussion very informative even when it is not directly pertinent to my upcoming issue(s).
I am intending to remodel a two story 3400 square foot colonial in Maryland (between Baltimore and DC), and as part of the renovation of a 25 year old house intend to completely replace all HVAC (which is original equipment: Ruud 4 ton AC, 100,000 BTU furnace with a common duct system). As might be expected, the upstairs is ~5-8 degrees hotter than the first floor, in part, I assume, due to the ducts being on the floor; cold air seems to run along the floor and down the stairs. Aside from that, the system has given us little trouble (go Ruud, vintage 1983!).
I have have had advice and a preliminary estimate that we should install a high efficiency, direct vent gas furnace in the basement, and cool the downstairs with a 2 or 3 ton conventional AC (this is a Carrier dealer's quote) and cool (and heat?) the upstairs with a separate heat pump that would drop air from above with an air handler and new duct work in the attic.
I have been fascinated by the idea of a geothermal ground-to-air or water-to-air heat pump to do all of this, but some calling around by our architect indicates that the price of a geothermal system with vertical wells would be double the cost of what was recommended as a first impression outlined above.
I understand that geothermal costs more upfront for installation, due to the wells (duh) but if I am willing to have horizontal trenches for ground loops (we have a back yard that is ~ 125 feet by ~125 feet), and I don't care how much the ground is temporarily disrupted during a remodeling and addition process, why so much?
1) Is it the case that a single heat pump could reasonably replace three major pieces of equipment (furnace, A/C, and electric heat pump and air handler in the attic)?
2) Whenever a homeowner posts a geothermal thread in this forum, the discussion seems to devolve into a handful of homeowners talking amongst themselves and comparing notes.Iis the professional support for installation and design so thin that this accounts for the lack of input and the high prices in our area? Not a complaint, but just wonder why such a small percentage of professionals have much to say (one way or the other) on the topic of geothermal HVAC. I could find a hundred conventional HVAC residential contractors in the yellow pages in a minute, but I really have to work hard to find geothermal installation/design people, especially for residential applications.
3) For those professionals who want to comment, what lines of equipment are recommended for residential HVAC? I am looking into Water Furnace, Climate Master, and Honeywell.
4) Are the energy savings of 50-70% that are flacked by the geothermal proponents really on the mark, or not, in your experience?
5) If cost were no object, would you install a geothermal system in your home, or not? If cost were an object but you wanted it, which systems would give you the most value for the buck spent? If the efficiency of geothermal heat pumps is so great, is it still important to have multi-stage compressors and variable speed motors for air handlers, or is this a shortcut to contain cost that you could recommend? Or is the dehumidification issue pretty much the same as for conventional systems?
6) Do you buy the premise (or the promise) that the geothermal heat pump will have a much longer life span than an outdoor unit, since it is inside the house and not subject to the elements?
This is a lot to ask, but if you have the time, I would appreciate the advice!
I am intending to remodel a two story 3400 square foot colonial in Maryland (between Baltimore and DC), and as part of the renovation of a 25 year old house intend to completely replace all HVAC (which is original equipment: Ruud 4 ton AC, 100,000 BTU furnace with a common duct system). As might be expected, the upstairs is ~5-8 degrees hotter than the first floor, in part, I assume, due to the ducts being on the floor; cold air seems to run along the floor and down the stairs. Aside from that, the system has given us little trouble (go Ruud, vintage 1983!).
I have have had advice and a preliminary estimate that we should install a high efficiency, direct vent gas furnace in the basement, and cool the downstairs with a 2 or 3 ton conventional AC (this is a Carrier dealer's quote) and cool (and heat?) the upstairs with a separate heat pump that would drop air from above with an air handler and new duct work in the attic.
I have been fascinated by the idea of a geothermal ground-to-air or water-to-air heat pump to do all of this, but some calling around by our architect indicates that the price of a geothermal system with vertical wells would be double the cost of what was recommended as a first impression outlined above.
I understand that geothermal costs more upfront for installation, due to the wells (duh) but if I am willing to have horizontal trenches for ground loops (we have a back yard that is ~ 125 feet by ~125 feet), and I don't care how much the ground is temporarily disrupted during a remodeling and addition process, why so much?
1) Is it the case that a single heat pump could reasonably replace three major pieces of equipment (furnace, A/C, and electric heat pump and air handler in the attic)?
2) Whenever a homeowner posts a geothermal thread in this forum, the discussion seems to devolve into a handful of homeowners talking amongst themselves and comparing notes.Iis the professional support for installation and design so thin that this accounts for the lack of input and the high prices in our area? Not a complaint, but just wonder why such a small percentage of professionals have much to say (one way or the other) on the topic of geothermal HVAC. I could find a hundred conventional HVAC residential contractors in the yellow pages in a minute, but I really have to work hard to find geothermal installation/design people, especially for residential applications.
3) For those professionals who want to comment, what lines of equipment are recommended for residential HVAC? I am looking into Water Furnace, Climate Master, and Honeywell.
4) Are the energy savings of 50-70% that are flacked by the geothermal proponents really on the mark, or not, in your experience?
5) If cost were no object, would you install a geothermal system in your home, or not? If cost were an object but you wanted it, which systems would give you the most value for the buck spent? If the efficiency of geothermal heat pumps is so great, is it still important to have multi-stage compressors and variable speed motors for air handlers, or is this a shortcut to contain cost that you could recommend? Or is the dehumidification issue pretty much the same as for conventional systems?
6) Do you buy the premise (or the promise) that the geothermal heat pump will have a much longer life span than an outdoor unit, since it is inside the house and not subject to the elements?
This is a lot to ask, but if you have the time, I would appreciate the advice!
