I am just completing construction on a 2250 sq ft ranch with full heated basement, I installed a Geo therm unit for $8,800.00 more than a High efficiency dual fuel hybrid stystem. Uncle Sam is extending a $2,000.00 tax credit for the new Geo system, which will make my outlay about $7,000.00 above the fossil fuel system. Too early to tell how efficient the system is, but it is a very comfortable heat , not like traditional cold drafty feeling heat pumps.

healinghands - 1/17/2009 Assuming you are in the greater Cincinnati area, can you forward information about the HVAC contractor that was willing to work with you doing part of the geo install yourself? swish_jr@yahoo.com

If the additional cost to install Geothermal is around $15000 more per furnace than a traditional forced air natural gas system then the cost added to a mortgage payment would be about $100 per month at current interest rates. The savings on a energy bill would be closer to $200 per month with the Geo system. Who wouldnt want an extra $100 per month in their pocket ? Green is nice but nobody wants to pay for it .In the case of building a new home going green actually pays you. It is a no brainer in new constuction to have Geo.

my home is 19 years old and has the geothermal. we have something called a water furnace. the house is a total of 5000 heated square feet. Our most expensive bill was like $380 during the holidays with out of town guets visiting for two weeks. at that time we also had a leak in the system which cause the furnace to run on it's electric back up. During the summer our bill runs abot $150. there is maintenence that must be kept up with this system. if the chemicals have to be replaced it can get expensive. it has also been hard to find companies that will service these systems. many heating and air companies will gladly set up the system but have no clue when it comes to repair and up keep. it's a great system to have and is more efficient than gas, or oils systems

Just built a 2600 sf home with Geothermal...quote to have it done was $24K, but we went DIY through a local company since we were our own general contractors. Total cost doing it ourselves was about $15K! Our highest bill has been since we've had the very cold weather and was $200, but we still have internal electric back up that hasn't yet been installed. Avg bill so far is more like $150/mo! I would recommend this system to ANYONE, and if you have the skills and ability to install the system yourself (including duct work) then DIY is your best bang for the buck! Note: if you're building a new home make sure to go the extra step in your energy efficiency and install windows, doors and insullation that will be equally efficient or you're wasting your money on the GEO system.

When Mairemont was built in the 1920's they put in a central steam plant down by the Little Miami river. The goal was to be a totally self sufficient community. They had everything. The steam plant provided heat to all of the initial homes.

I am certain readers are aware of the hype going around about windmill power generation. Recently the Wall Street Journal printed a map showing what areas could benifit from wind power. Surprise! not too many, New England was near the top of the list, Ohio rated poorly.For a windmill to be effective we all realise the wind has to be reasonably constant.A special grid would need to be constucted to connect the wind turbines to it. Why is this well if the voltage and frequency vary as they will with most wind turbines,connecting a wind turbine to existing power equipment would not work. GEO is most likely the way to go for most households, after all you could not only heat your hot water, from the system, but with some help even connect your clothes dryer as well, to save even more power. Americans are the mother of invention, other writers here may think of other ways to save energy. Do not leave it too the lawyers in Washington, most of which cannot even knock a nail in a piece of wood. Many people could install their own system,you could sub out the digging part, like many others have done. the equipment can be purchased and fitted like any other type of heat xchanger. If any one who reads this can reach the hi ups perhaps we will have a chance to get a something going.

My house is 2400 sq ft with a 1700 sq ft finished basement. It is all electric. Due to Asthma, we keep the house closed all year and a 71 degrees. Our bill is $273.oo per month. Our geo system is 14 years old. No maintenance, no heat pump. It heats the hot water. My electric company, Butler Rural Electric Cooperative paid for part of the installation of my system as a way to promote efficiency.

The best way to end "Global Warming" is to end "Global Stupidity" I remember in 1981 "The Cincinnati Enquirer" had a front page headline in August or September stating that in 20 years Cincinnati would be a dessert because of the change in the weather. If we would have only listen to the Intelligentsia back then we would not be having this problem today. Maybe if Al Gores internet would have caught on quicker we could have avoided it. I mean if it is on the internet or a politician says it, it must be true. And yes for every person that says it is happening, there is another that says it isnt. Geothermal is great because it pays for itself. Too bad the goverment doesn't

We built our house in 1995 and we had geothermal installed at that time, however,the cost then was $9,990. We have had no problems with the system and would recommend it to anyone. Our house was used as a model home for geothermal by Owen Electric. Our hot water heater is heated by this system as well. We do not use any other heat such as wood for the fireplace. Our house is 3200 sq ft.