Posted By adkjacUpstateNY on 01 Jun 2010 03:53 PM
Looby.... your thoughts....

Daiken Altherma with wood back up for coldest hours of operation assstance.

Sounds like pure distilled essence of vaporware.

Got a list of Daiken Altherma installers in the USA?

Wood backup? No thanks. Second best part of geo is being
combustion-free, odor-free, delivery-free and furnace-free.

Why would I want to stink-up the neighborhood with wood smoke?
IMO, only a selfish, inconsiderate lummox would be willing to
pollute his neighbors' air in order to save himself a few $$.

BTW, the best part of geo is being cash flow positive from day #1.
Of course, that only works if you allow day #1 to actually happen...

...coulda, woulda, shoulda,

Looby

Hi Looby... Got it that you like GEO and at .07/KWH you are in a place where it should be used everywhere.

Where I build we all burn wood... all of us... We like fireplaces and woodstoves and pellets.

The newer wood burners are very very efficient. You have not seen such? We have them here by the thousands. We also like the smell of wood burning and it is a carbon neutral heat source. No I am not for the back yard wood smoldering units and am not talking about them. We are actually working hard to get those phased out through zoning laws.

Now as to vaporware... there are many air to air systems available that go as high as SEER 22. The Altherma is just coming out of testing and has been installed all over the planet, go to the website, you can look and read about installs. With an auto feed wood burner for low temps and night setback an air source heat pump jumps in efficiency.

Remember one thing Looby. Electric here is expensive! .14/KWH Twice your area. That makes payback twice as long for any set up, air, GEO or baseboard.

Glad to talk with you anytime... I don't think it is necessary to get into the lummox debate... You just called way more than half of us in this area lots of fun names from one of the owners of the Redsox, to Chicago, NYC, Boston business circles and yes to some hillbillies and loggers.... and contractors... and hotel owners... This is rural lake and mountain country Loobs... not the suburbs and not downtown Pittsburgh.

Looby, I liked your original advise on not feeding Trolls. This guy is now a builder ("Where I build we all burn wood... all of us...") and I'm sure an expert on all of the technologies of which he speaks, including: superinsulated houses,PV, passive solar, and solar hot water. Just ask him. :-) Oops, I forgot geothermal!

Geome... tag team of insults when nothing good to say? Standard course for discussion sites.

I am in no way an expert at any of what you mention... but I am trying to fast track and dig deep into real numbers, good products and methods for going more and more green in homebuilding.

It's a path that doesn't just hit the brakes at GEO SIPs and ICF. GEO at twice the KWH cost in one of the coldest parts of the USA needs to be carefully investigated. What you two don't like obviously is the possibility that GEO is not always the best solution for heat... Looby may well be one of the best to go to for GEO in PA at half the KWH costs. I AGREE GEOME and Looby.

Give the whining about trolling a break and join the grown up world where most don't appreciate acting like an internet bully when someone doesn't look like you in the mirror.

:)

Check out this site while you two are trolling...

http://www.nmdgreen.com/altherma-heat-pumps.shtml

These guys do all heat systems ... not just GEO.  There are times that each may be a good fit.