Pulled the trigger! Wall of fame or wall of shame?

[54regcab]

If you are going Geo go all electric home eliminating the monthly fee for the gas meter is a big part of the savings for going Geo. If you are going to shell out for the gas meter fee, might as well get a gas furnace. In our area the meter fee is $28/mo and gas costs 50 cents per therm. For lowest overall utility costs it's make as many appliances as possible run on gas or go all electric.

[energy star]

1.25 is that city gas?

[wkearney99]

If you are going Geo go all electric home eliminating the monthly fee for the gas meter is a big part of the savings for going Geo. If you are going to shell out for the gas meter fee, might as well get a gas furnace. In our area the meter fee is $28/mo and gas costs 50 cents per therm. For lowest overall utility costs it's make as many appliances as possible run on gas or go all electric.

But isn't that ignoring the larger benefit of reducing the amount of fuel burned at the site, or at the power generating plant? Sure, the simple economics of it might not make as much sense today, but in the long run how is it better to keep burning more fuel? Vs doing something NOW to change how much your own HVAC demands are going to impact the system overall.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of saving money. It just strikes me as very short-sighted to dismiss the larger benefits of a geo setup only because of today's gas or electric meter price.

[54regcab]

But isn't that ignoring the larger benefit of reducing the amount of fuel burned at the site, or at the power generating plant? Sure, the simple economics of it might not make as much sense today, but in the long run how is it better to keep burning more fuel? Vs doing something NOW to change how much your own HVAC demands are going to impact the system overall.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of saving money. It just strikes me as very short-sighted to dismiss the larger benefits of a geo setup only because of today's gas or electric meter price.

I'm in FAVOR of doing the geo system. Distrubution costs associated with gas are getting close to that of electric. Its already in our bills.

[CallaDrilling]

Good decision.
Most of the negative opinions are from Standard HVAC installers who have never installed or educated on geothermal!
I am a fan of geothermal, and would always go geo over gas unless the install gets too pricy due to the ground conditions for the loops.

[energy star]

You can not heat cheaper than natural gas.

[jtrammel]

Y'all do realize this is a zombie thread from 2009 right.

[waterpirate]

You can not heat cheaper than natural gas.

I would argue that natural gas is a poor choice for AC. lol
Eric

[beenthere]

I would argue that natural gas is a poor choice for AC. lol
Eric

Actually, those nat gas fired absorption systems were very efficient.

[54regcab]

Actually, those nat gas fired absorption systems were very efficient.

It's the installation and upkeep costs that get you. The York Triathlon systems from the mid 90's were very efficient, but installation and operation costs killed the deal. With today's technology somebody might be able to take another go at it. Time of use electric rates are a huge advantage to gas powered AC equipment.

[waterpirate]

The real deal breaker is and allways will be distribution costs. Currently nat gas is only available in our area to high volume end users. Us peons were deemed unworthy for connection options when the pipeline went by our homes. Same story with sewer, but now I am on my soap box and waaay off topic, zombie thread or not.
Eric

[wkearney99]

You can not heat cheaper than natural gas.

Today. Once upon a time everyone though heating oil was cheap too.

And you're still burning fuel at the home. Versus electricity generated by various other means, many of which stand to be a lot less polluting long-term.

[motoguy128]

You can not heat cheaper than natural gas.

Cost per 100k BTU is $0.86 for natural gas on a 96% furanace in my area right now. With TOU rates and a COP of 3.6-4.4, I can see electric range from $1.38-0.59 depending on manothly useage. When on off-peak, it's $0.72-0.45! That's some major savings.