We've been talking to our geo company and about to order a Nextenergy unit for a new build, however tonight when I called to set up a meeting for the deposit to order the equipment, he told me they are now also working with Geocomfort and he could save me $1000 for the same type of unit if I was interested.  Any reason to not go Geocomfort over Nextenergy?  I'm in Saskatchewan if that makes a difference...

tanner27,

 We are a GeoComfort dealer and have worked with Enertech Mfg. nearly from their start. I can tell you they are a top notch company and very responsive to the needs of their dealers and service techs. Their Compass series was a design partnership between Enertech and the DEALERS! If designed and installed properly, you will enjoy many years of comfort.

Bergy

How much of a deposit was requested?

Go with geocomfort

The majority is paid before they order equipment, why?

INCLUDED: (Forced Air System)
- Geo Comfort w/desuperheater, 2 stage Ultra Tech Copland Scroll Comp., DC
Fan - 410A Earth Pure Refrigerant , Emergency Heater, Flow Controller 3,
Electrostatic Air Filter, Sound Pad
- Second 40 gal water heater for desuperheater storage, plumbing of
desuperheater to storage tank (Primary water heater provided by other0
- Programmable, Digital system matched thermostat
- 10 Year Refrigeration Parts, 5 year Electrical Parts, 5 Year Labour Limited
Warranty
- On unit low Voltage control and pump wiring materials
- Superior antifreeze freeze and system corrosion/wear protection.
- All labour and travel related cost for the complete installation.

majority is not what we charge as a down pay. 'round here 1/3 to half is typical.
j

Who is your contractor?

Regina Geothermal and Solar

They've been very on top of things and great about providing info when I ask.  Member of CGC and good references when I called around.  Any feedback?

Posted By tanner27 on 05 Aug 2011 10:39 AM
The majority is paid before they order equipment, why?

Just curious.  Do other installers in your area have similar deposit requirements?  Did you receive other quotes, check geothermal references, etc.?

Deposits can vary.  With our installation, no deposit was required.  The full cost was payable within 15 days (if I recall correctly) of completion for us.

I would contact solar outpost. They sell Geosmart Energy systems. They are the quietest most efficient systems available to canada. 3069557772

Posted By geome on 05 Aug 2011 11:21 AM

Posted By tanner27 on 05 Aug 2011 10:39 AM
The majority is paid before they order equipment, why?

Just curious.  Do other installers in your area have similar deposit requirements?  Did you receive other quotes, check geothermal references, etc.?

Deposits can vary.  With our installation, no deposit was required.  The full cost was payable within 15 days (if I recall correctly) of completion for us.

We did get quotes from 2 other companies, tried to get another but they never got back to me.  I actually never asked deposit requirements from the others, one couldn't answer half my questions without referring to someone else (they were a new company), and the other I hadn't heard as many good things about.  We needed a large deposit when we signed to "hold our spot" as they get very booked and only do so many installs, and another large deposit is required when we order the equipment. 

Posted By canadageo on 05 Aug 2011 11:35 AM
I would contact solar outpost. They sell Geosmart Energy systems. They are the quietest most efficient systems available to canada. 3069557772

I forgot, I did.  There were 2 companies that never got back to me, solar outpost was one of them. 

Aside from the fact this is a very american forum I would recommend next energy if that's the only two choices. They have been around 10+ yrs. With geocomfort they are just breaking into canada with little to no support here. So far the installs that have been made they haven't been so successful. I've already replaced two the weren't in very long due to lack of support and parts in canada.

Posted By canadageo on 05 Aug 2011 11:49 AM
Aside from the fact this is a very american forum I would recommend next energy if that's the only two choices. They have been around 10+ yrs. With geocomfort they are just breaking into canada with little to no support here. So far the installs that have been made they haven't been so successful. I've already replaced two the weren't in very long due to lack of support and parts in canada.

What part of canada are you in?

Ontario, which usually has more support

I'm a bit worried now that you say you've had to take out some installs, why is that? 

Tanner 27, I was in a similar situation when I purchased my Next Energy system not too long ago. In having multiple quotes for my installation, I did find that some contractors offered more than one brand; and the Geocomfort and Next Energy product were two of the quotes I received. In doing research, I found that the warranties although appearing similar do have major differences. The Next Energy contractor informed me that the Limited Labour warranty is based on an allowance schedule – you get so many $’s per hour, for so many hours for a particular repair and this is true for all brands. When compared between brands, Next energy had the highest $’s allowed and the highest # of hours per repair. The contractor also offered an option to bump up to a 10yr. Labour / 10yr. Parts warranty. It was also important to know that the warranty was in fact carried by the manufacturer – ClimateMaster. My system has run great since day one, but interestingly enough I did have some questions about my thermostat – I contacted Next energy directly and was able to speak to their technical staff who were very friendly and helpful. Apparently the next energy thermostat has functionality to improve staging and efficiency of the system that other t-stats do not have, some t-stats bring on the backup electric too easily I’ve heard. Regardless, it’s nice to know that my system is not only covered locally by the installer but also strongly supported by next energy the Canadian distributor. A quality product is only as good as the people who support it. I strongly encourage you to stay with your first choice next energy.

There's 3 main companies I would consider in canada. Geosmart, waterfurnace, and next energy. My preferance by far is Geosmart. They have the best support. Even when I've had a problem at 10 o'clock at night I can get ahold of someone to help me.

I took them out due to the lack of support and availibility of parts last winter the customer was told it would be 3 weeks to wait for a compressor that died, which left them with no furnace just back up

Canadageo,

CAUTION....CAUTION...CAUTION

I did my research when buying; I found out that geosmarts' warranty is not factory supported by their manufacturer waterfurnace.

What difference does that make. Waterfurnace just makes the furnace for them. Should climatemaster warranty carrier units or bryant units? They make both of the furnaces for carrier and bryant. I'm well aware of the warranty Stan Marco ceo of GeoSmart has trained almost every major player in geothernal in canada. He's been in the industry for 30 years, was president of next and waterfurnace in the past. I have 100% confidence in their company