You don't need a geothermal system to have reasonable heating & cooling bills. There were 2 options that i looked at and both were about the same cost and would have provided about the same efficiency. For both options, I selected high efficiency windows with e glass and argon gas as well as doors that have 3 point locks and tight seals all the way around. The first option was the geothermal system with blown cellulose insultation in the walls & attic. For the attic, I specified R38 insultation (about 11 inches of cellulose) - the minumum code in our area is R30. The second option was a spray foam insulation package and high efficiency heat pumps. In this option, the foam in the attic would have been sprayed onto the inner side of the roof so that all space inside the house would be insulated space, and the foam does the best job at blocking air from entering or leaving the home. With this option, an air exchanger system would be needed on the HVAC to bring in a fresh supply of conditioned air inside the house periodically. The spray foam cost is a lot more than the cellulose, but the heat pump HVAC system is a lot less than a geothermal heat pump system (mainly due to the extra cost of digging the pit or wells for the geothermal pipes). In the end, both of these approaches would have cost about the same. I chose GT because that is what I always wanted for my dream home, it was as simple as that. I know a heat pump system can work in a temperature zone like the Blue Ridge Mountains in the mid-atlantic region where I live, provided that the house is insulated AND air infiltration is minimized - well beyond minimum code requirements. You might look at buying a heat pump that has propane as the auxilairy heat (I believe they make these now). As mentioned above, if you live in a really harsh climate zone like Wisconsin - then a heat pump might not be the best choice. Spend extra money on the insulation package, put in the very best windows & doors, caulk the interior of the house - every nook and cranny, insulate under the foundation slab - do all the things you can to insulate and minimize air infiltration and then you can keep your heating and cooling bills down. I suggest looking at how new homes in Canada are built (check out Holmes on Homes) and build to their standards - the Canadians seem far ahead of the U.S. in building codes for energy efficient homes. Have you selected a builder yet? If not - make sure that you pick one who really knows how to build energy efficient homes. Don't ask them open ended questions - let them tell you all the steps they take and extra things they do to make the house as energy efficient as it can be. If you only insulate to minimum code and don't take the extra steps to minimize air infiltration - your monthly bills will be high no matter what HVAC power plant you use. These extra steps I mention cost money. But it is a pay me now or pay me later proposition. If you plan on living in the house for a long time, then it would be wise to make the investment now, when it is most cost effective to do so.

Well, I am glad to hear it will warm up quick. So for the 12 x 18 tv room, how long of a baseboard should I get..I assume one long one on a wall with no furniture will do and it should be on its own stat, ie only run when needed....? The other area is a little crazier. Do I need 1 or 2 baseboards? I really only see two areas I can put the baseboard(s). I can get a 5 footer or so just to the right of the last 3 rows of Xs. This area (rectangular to the right) represents about 150 sq foot of space. Around the corner, about 10 in back of that, I can also get up to a 12 footer (if there even is such a thing) on the extreme left outside wall. This area (rectangular to the right) represents about 324 sq feet..opening to the 155 sq ft area. Note i do have an overhead vent from my heat pump here. I could add more but I am not sure if its worth it. I'd need to add a return as well I guess. My experience is it warms the area a little when it very cold outside andthe heat runs non stop...otherwise it does not seam to do much...if anything, maybe I could add on to the 155 sq ft area in liue of a 5' baseboard....I don't know... So, Do I need a long one and a short one..or just one long one and one more vent from the heat pump...or just a long one. If two baseboards, would each have its own stat or should the have a common stat? I cannot put anything by the stairs and the last row, though now shown, has a few more closets.

Hi, we have similar situation to research. We are looking into upgrading our HVAC and have question as to go with Heat Pump with Electric or Oil backup. Background: Central Massachusetts, 20 year old house, 3000sqft typical two story colonial with central forced hot air oil furnace and AC. Currently 5ton AC and heating with 80% efficient and I think 110000BTU oil furnace. Which might be more than necessary. No natural gas available. Oil or Propane. 200Amp main panel. Electric rates are about 11.39cents per KWH. Oil rates are about $4.00 dollars per gallon. AC is only two months or so, heating is more important. So we are thinking of choosing a low temperature Heat Pump with good HSFP, SEER is less important. Questions: We were wondering if for the price of electric and oil if we can move to electric as backup in this area (New England). Would there also be any re-sale issues later too? Our dealer is also recommending Byrant 280A 5 Ton low temperature with 20KW, which we might request to bump up to the three stage 24KW heat strips because we keep warm temperature (70F). Thank you for any help you can give.

I agree there are more standby loss with the convention hot water heater, but I don't think it is that significant. I have calculated it costs about $25 a month to run my conventional gas hot water heater. Last year I replaced it. I could have spent the extra money on one that has a damper. Perhaps I would have save 20% in energy costs which would mean about $5 a month. The primary reason I didn't do it is because the prior two summers I experienced multiple day power outages for the first time. The conventional water heater still works with no power. With anything else I would be forced to take cold showers.