HOME RENOVATION - IS GEOTHERMAL AN OPTION?

We've been asked a number of times whether geothermal heating and cooling can work with an existing home.  The answer is YES ... however ... the context of the discussion needs to be adjusted slightly.

 Geothermal drilling of closed loop wells - each tied into the home to supply water to the geo-heat pumps.

Regardless of what technology you are considering for a replacement to an older less efficient heating system, the most important first step is giving attention to the quality of your home's building materials; more specifically INSULATION - which defines the ability of your home to prevent heat loss in the winter and prevent heat gain in the summer. 

Insulation is by far the least expensive way to improve the efficiency of your home.  Once you’ve improved your insulation in the attic, walls, basement, and basement sill, you’ve now significantly reduced the “size” and cost of the mechanical system necessary to heat and cool your home.

The reason this is more significant for geothermal is simple – the size of the geothermal loop is decreased.  While federal tax credits will typically cover the cost of your geothermal loop, by improving the insulation of your home, the initial system costs and the operating costs will be greatly reduced.

And after all, with insulation being the least expensive way to save money – it seems like an easy first step while you make your decision about which heating and cooling system is best. 

Our recommendation is to approach MassSave for an energy audit and do what you can to access the incentives and 0% heat loans available for upgrading.

Thank you and welcome!!

Our mission is to design the highest quality energy systems for commercial and residential applications.
Our goal is simple - reduce your energy costs while optimizing savings, profit, and cost of ownership.
Our objective is to to enable adoption of "smart" energy solutions. 

We invite you to follow us and our community of partners, affiliates, and friends.  We plan to share the realities of available energy and renewable energy solutions; and perhaps why we should or shouldn't adopt certain solutions depending on the nature and objectives of the adopting community or entity.

When we're asked 'what's the best renewable energy solution?' Our answer is "it depends".  Not every renewable solution is right for every situation or circumstance and often times a combination of renewables leads to the best solution for all. 

An important first step before making a decision is to investigate and ask questions.  And be aware, while not always exciting, it's more efficient and less costly to conserve energy than it is to generate (or waste) it! 

Thanks for following!! We look forward to your comments and discussions!