I live in a 1500 sq foot split entery in western Pennsylvania, just north of the city of Pittsburgh.  The house has an older model high efficiancy Janitrol unit that has been known for the heat exchanger cracking.  I have the unit checked at the start of each heating season but I know it’s only a matter of time before the unit will have to be replaced.

 I am IT person by trade and one of my customers is a local heating and air conditioning company.   He has been trying to sell me on the idea of geo heat for several moths. This particular dealer installs the Hydro Delta models and they’ve sucessfully installed several of them. Hydroheat, the manufacture of the Hydro Delta model is a local company, about an hour from my home. I like the fact that they're a local company and I can get support directly from the manufacture if I run into issues.

The company sized my install  at 2.5 tons and he estimated the cost with the hotwater option at 23K.   That includes 3 verticle wells at about 140 feet each in my back yard.

I trust the dealers technical skills but I was wondering what folks thought of the 23K price.

Thanks,

 

EP

The price seems to be inline. I would try and get several more bids.

For a drilled water source system, that price seems right in line. I agree on getting more bids. Get one on EarthLinked DX. It will probably be lower.

This seems a bit high to me. Although this is my first post I have been in the geothermal industry for 18 years. Drilling, loopfields and installs, and now sales and consulting. If you are getting a 2.5 ton you will not have a 2 stage compressor, and unless drilling costs are much higher than what we have about 2 hours away in Ohio it seems a bit pricey. The one variable would be if you are planning to have ductwork upgraded. Most of the typical 3 ton systems that we are installing are somewhat less with what I feel is very good equipment manufactured by Waterfurnace.

Thanks,

DH

Waterfurnace Envision ND026 is a 2.5 ton two-stage unit, smallest 2 stage they make.

FWIW drilling costs in my area (North Florida) are $10 / ft, and we like 270 ft / ton. Of course ground conditions vary widely nationwide.

Industry standard for Ohio and surrounding areas are 150 ft / ton and local drilling costs are around $7.00 / ft. We have a greater heat load than ac and in most cases are dealing with the system doing both heating and ac. In the winter we are dropping ground temp around the loopfield, and in the summer we are raising it up. According to Waterfurnace engineering the Envision NDV026 is a 2 ton two stage, and the Envision NSV030 is a 2 1/2 ton single stage. We can get very technical about compressor outputs but according to my TM (Territory Manager) that is how the systems are marketeted.

DSG - I reread my Envision materials and you are correct - NDV026 is labeled "2 ton" dual stage and the NSV030 is labeled "2.5 ton"

BUT, without getting too technical, it is easy to see that in fact the NDV026's output at high stage is actually higher than that of the 'half ton more' NSV030.

Marketers are certainly an odd bunch, not to be trusted...

engineer- I agree.

emptypockets. you might read another thread updated today, 7/16/08, titled "Geothermal seems to run all the time" which recounts someone's experience with a HydroDelta system. I'm not trying to poke HydroDelta in the eye, but it should raise your antennae enough to ask questions and check out any and all references any company or installer provide. My two cents. Dave

I read that thread and it doesn't sound too good for HydroDelta. I am waiting for a call back from a WaterFurnace dealer so I can compare quotes. Thanks for the input.