Oh noes! It's still just an idea

[embalmed]

I have been thinking about geothermal, actually it is just one piece of the 10 million things I want to do to my house... yeah, it rules.

How do I establish a realistic expectation of how much it would cost to use a geothermal system in my house? I am not asking about installation costs, but more so the monthly utilities.

I would presume some or most of this involves getting a contractor out, getting a few calculations run. How much of this is charged for, and how much is "we're doing this because we want to sell the right thing for you or make an accurate quote"?

[junkhound]

Welcome 'embalmed'. It helps with responses if you add your location in your profile.

2nd paragraph, as an example, my own house.

Going from air-air Rheem only to adding a HP only WSHP cut power usage for heating by 50%, but have 56F ground water in winter. Switches over from air-air to WSHP at 48F air temp (set just above where evaporator can ice in typical spring/fall humid conditions. VERY dependent on local conditions and the type system you can get installed, local NG and power rates, local rules and ordinances, etc.

Last paragraph varies all over. Expect to get charged for a competent "few calculations".

[dmaxbury1]

I used water furnace for awhile and i have switched to climatemaster geo. they have geothermal software that will show you your monthly cost on your bills with GEO vs either your current system or any system for that matter, also climatemaster reps at least in my area are easy to talk to and know their stuff. and climatemaster is also cheaper than water furnace and is still a superior product. where are you located?

[embalmed]

Back from the dead, sorry about that.

I live in Minnesota, outskirts of the twin cities area. My utility bill as/is fits into the norm for a 70 year old house, but it isn't very big. It is a bit bloated because of an electric water heater, and the duct work looks like a DiY project gone crazy (6.5" ducts, 5.5" joists and a 7' ceiling).

With the way the housing market jolted, I anticipate being stuck in my house for a few more decades. This was initially supposed to be my starter house, but since I am stuck here I might as well make it awesome. Then again, it comes back to the question if I can reclaim enough of the costs.

Argh, on a side note though, this summer has been rather kind up here.