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Posted by Ken Maltby on July 23, 2008, 10:31 pm
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> I'm very strongly looking at converting our 3,300sqft home from oil to
> geothermal. I'd love anyone who has installed geothermal in a
> residential home (preferably converting from another heat source) in a
> cold climate area (I'm in the upstate NY area) to share the following:
>
> -- anticipated and actual heating/utilities savings (or not)
> -- the size (in tons) of your system
> -- if you have an open or closed source
> -- if you had to rely on backup heating
> -- your rough location (so I can compare climate similarities or
> differences)
>
> Right now, even with the high capital cost of installing a new
> geothermal unit, I'm looking at an approximate 5- to 6-year payback on
> this system. It's a very attractive proposition.
>
> Thanks!
I suspect what you are describing as "Geothermal" is also known
as a "Ground Source Heat Pump".
What some of us think of as Geothermal requires tapping into the
high temperature areas of the earth's crust that are only practically
exploitable at certain spots. Unless you have steam rising up from
the ground or bubbling mud on your property, it's not likely that
you would be able to access that kind of Geothermal.
What has been a puzzle to me is; why hasn't Westinghouse
or some such, found a way to get between the hot magma and
the giant cold water heatsink that is the ocean, at any of the
many points where this is occurring naturally now. Or perhaps
use a short drilling into the ring of fire, where it is near a major
city but out at sea. Providing Tokyo, LA, Hong Kong,
Singapore, San Francisco and many others with a truly vast
continuos source of power, would drastically cut their need to
import oil.
Luck;
Ken
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/geothermal-is-not-a-heatpump.php
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