Windmills along the lake

Just Sold · 09-29-2009, 07:10 PM

From the articles I have read Geothermal is not always a good investment in certain areas of the country. New England is OK but the temperature down at the point where you drill to get the heat is not as warm as you would like. So you have to pay a little more in oil/gas/wood to get the water to where it will heat the home. Sure you save some but what is it costing in the pump to move the water down and back up? You will still have a hot water furnace like you would would without Geothermal.

Now in the Rocky's and where ever there is geology with thermal springs, old volcanic activity etc. that is where you get the best return on investment. Colorado is one area North and West of Denver. Washington and Oregon too.

I have not been convinced that New England is the place to invest in Geothermal. It is just OK here but the payback seem a little long. My brother looked into it in his new construction home near Blue Hill Maine. An engineering study was done for his home to select the best system and fuel to heat with and Geothermal was not even near the top of heating options.

As for wind power my brother looked into that and no system offered a reasonable payback for the investment. Something like 60 years. Not at his age then of 67. His home has a lot of open land to the NE and N and gets indirect wind off the Ocean a few miles away.

jmen24 · 09-29-2009, 08:19 PM

Just Sold, I agree with your statement 100%.

Electric solar panels that are large enough to power your home and hopefully backfeed the grid are super expensive including all the components to go with them.

In new contruction with Radiant heat the hot water solar system explained above carries a cost savings of about $2500 per year in fuel, that nets a payoff of about 11 years, and you are no longer dependant on oil to heat your home and hot water. I forgot to mention that he also suppliments with a wood stove and in case the power goes out and the gas range is not usable, they also have a second stove in the kitchen that uses wood, you know the old school way of cooking. It is a pretty cool setup.

09-29-2009, 07:10 PM	#1
Just Sold Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Suncook, NH, but at The Lake at Heart Posts: 2,615 Thanks: 1,083 Thanked 434 Times in 210 Posts	From the articles I have read Geothermal is not always a good investment in certain areas of the country. New England is OK but the temperature down at the point where you drill to get the heat is not as warm as you would like. So you have to pay a little more in oil/gas/wood to get the water to where it will heat the home. Sure you save some but what is it costing in the pump to move the water down and back up? You will still have a hot water furnace like you would would without Geothermal. Now in the Rocky's and where ever there is geology with thermal springs, old volcanic activity etc. that is where you get the best return on investment. Colorado is one area North and West of Denver. Washington and Oregon too. I have not been convinced that New England is the place to invest in Geothermal. It is just OK here but the payback seem a little long. My brother looked into it in his new construction home near Blue Hill Maine. An engineering study was done for his home to select the best system and fuel to heat with and Geothermal was not even near the top of heating options. As for wind power my brother looked into that and no system offered a reasonable payback for the investment. Something like 60 years. Not at his age then of 67. His home has a lot of open land to the NE and N and gets indirect wind off the Ocean a few miles away. __________________ Just Sold At the lake the stress of daily life just melts away. Pro Re Nata

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09-29-2009, 08:19 PM	#2
jmen24 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,139 Thanks: 223 Thanked 319 Times in 181 Posts	Just Sold, I agree with your statement 100%. Electric solar panels that are large enough to power your home and hopefully backfeed the grid are super expensive including all the components to go with them. In new contruction with Radiant heat the hot water solar system explained above carries a cost savings of about $2500 per year in fuel, that nets a payoff of about 11 years, and you are no longer dependant on oil to heat your home and hot water. I forgot to mention that he also suppliments with a wood stove and in case the power goes out and the gas range is not usable, they also have a second stove in the kitchen that uses wood, you know the old school way of cooking. It is a pretty cool setup.