We are building a house on a large lot that will be subdivided and sold off as two additional parcels.  We have been investigating geothermal and are on the fence somewhat due to the payback, but I was thinking that if we could drill for all three lots together at one time to bring down the per-lot-cost (assuming there are economies of scale at work for this type of job) it may make it easier financially while at the same time giving prospective buyers a higher incentive to purchase our lots over others in the area.

So does it make sense to drill without having a house project started - and I mean only from a connection/layout/sizing/etc perspective and not from an investment angle.  I've been told that in Kentucky and Ohio (i.e. here) almost all projects use vertical loops.

We have done this. Makes great sense.

Dewayne, how do you leave the loops for future use?  Are they capped or something like that?

What kind of savings are reasonable to expect for a multi-site discount using a single deployment?

P.S. Happy New Year out there in Utah!

We left the pipes capped and well marked. You would have to get a local driller to give you a price.

I am not a driller but I do install horizontal loops and I can tell you that if I were to install and dig three loops side by side it would cost a lot less than doing all three of them at seperate times.

As for the savings, that will all depend on the size of the house, the heat loss/gain of the home the efficiency of comparable systems, tax credits in your area and a few other factors, you will need a local contractor to tell you this.

Are there setbacks required (from the property line, or from any structure) in any locales for underground loops? It would be terrible to pre-install loops only to find that the new buyer was prevented from implementing his chosen design because of how the loops used up the area.

On the other hand, being "pre-approved" for geo and having the loop already in might command a premium price for the property.

How would you decide the size of the loop? If you limit the loop size, you may be limiting the size and type of residence that could be constructed. When I put in septic, I always install for 5 or 6 bedroom, so future owners aren't limited by that.

UPDATE: the utility development costs are higher than the credits since we're only building on one of the three lots, which means we either have to pay the difference ($2900) or commit to spending a minimum amount ($80/month) on electric for the next five years. I'm wondering if this point if geothermal is even worth it since it may be five years before we can even take advantage of the savings. Of course, this is only looking at things from an electric standpoint. Not sure if geothermal has more benefits on the gas-side of the utility usage.

Appreciate the update. Gas side info will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

What info would help you evaluate the cost justification analysis?

My general feeling is that if geothermal shifts the demand from gas to electric, the "bad news" from the electric company may not be so bad in the end - but that's where I can't tell how geothermal impacts usage.  Another thread here makes me think it's a tough sell in general in this area (http://gbt.buildcentral.com/Forums/tabid/53/aff/13/aft/79848/afv/topic/Default.aspx) and the only reason to do it is the tax credits - something of value in OH with a 10-15 yr property tax abatement but not so much in KY with just the federal credits.

P.S. I see you're in Howell.  We moved down from Plymouth/Belleville seven years ago.  Loved MI but digging things here too - especially the cobwebs on our snow shovel :)

.....same things you are looking at. My feeling is loopfields on future bid sites will not make economic sense unless lots are sold at a premium, though it might make sense for a developer with a green marketing rep and strategy.

not much use for the snow shovel this year, been very mild.....I've inspected for Vanburen Twp and Plymouth- small world.