I recently purchased a 4300 sq. ft. 130 year old Victorian home in orange county, NY.

The house has forced air heating, with a beast of a furnace. There is no AC. The ductwork is pretty good but not insulated at all and panned at some spots.

I was looking into getting AC hooked up and had some HVAC guys come in. They told me it couldn't be done with my furnace and suggested that I revamp my whole system. The furnace is VERY thirsty and could get super costly in the colder months. They proposed an all in one system with a high efficient Buderas furnace.

Faced with the prospects of revamping my entire heating and cooling system, I started to do research and found out about geothermal.. I understand the initial costs are higher with geo, but it seems like a no brainer over even the most efficient oil or NG alternatives.

I am faced with the following options and I'm really not sure what is best to do.. What do you experts think?

1. Bite the bullet and go full geo. Insulate my ductwork and possibly the 3rd floor/attic

2. Focus on added insulation throughout the house and ductwork, re-seal windows, etc... and get a central AC unit.. Stay with my current furnace (it's thirsty but in good shape) and hope that I don't get killed on oil cost this winter.

3. Go for a high efficiency oil system & high pressure AC system.

I'm probably leaving out important details people would need to guide me a bit, but I'm here for any further info. I really need some help on deciding and nobody in my circle knows much about these things. Thanks in advance!!

I'd first start with an accurate load calculation. What does the house currently require for heating and cooling.

Then, I'd adjust the load calculation to show how much any improvements will affect the load. Most likely, windows and insulation will reduce the loads significantly enough to be worth it.

After that, I'd contact Mel Hensch. He's the EarthLinked sales rep in NY. He'll know which dealer you should contact for a good setup. Either Mel, or the dealer should be able to do the accurate load calculation for you and show what different setups would do to the load and price of geo.

Mel's info is: [email protected] , Tel: 508-328-4735.

I would definitely say that geothermal is a great fit for your home.

THANKS tuffluckdriller!