Installers put in undersized ground loops that cant match the homes heating needs. Ground source heat pumps typically have COPs between 3 and 5, which is also a ratio also representative of heat produced to electrical input. Ground source heat pumps, also called geothermal heat pumps, are your most efficient central HVAC option and your most expensive one. How is this achieved? Treated air is air that has been cooled and dehumidified in AC mode or heated in Heat mode and is leaving the air handler. How have you handled past drilling complications? A geothermal heating system costs $4,000 to $8,000 per ton to install on average. Its safe to assume that most ground source heat pump systems will pay for themselves in somewhere between four and fifteen years. Does this installation meet all local building code requirements. Additionally, these products must have an EER rating above 17.1 and a COP rating above 3.6 (for closed-loop systems). Yes, when comparing the efficiency of traditional split system heat pumps to geothermal heat pumps. OK, with that groundwork done, lets get to the details. Retrofitting a geothermal system to adapt to the current HVAC system is highly complex and typically requires: Packaged geothermal units cost $2,500 to $8,000 on average, while split systems cost $3,500 to $8,000 for the unit only. The total upfront cost of a ground source heat pump depends on many factors. The obvious downside is that this setup doesnt provide air conditioning. The geothermal energy tax credit allows homeowners to, Geothermal HVAC reduces utility bills and uses. A system that is 300% efficient for heating, for example, creates 3 times or 300% the amount of heat that an electric heater would produce using the same amount of energy. Quality brands that only make geothermal include Bard, ClimateMaster, GeoStar, Hydron and WaterFurnace. Keep in mind that in all sizes, you have the option of single stage ($), two stage ($$) and variable capacity ($$$). Both ground heat exchange and direct-exchange systems have closed loops that use the ground as an energy source. If the heat pump is undersized and the backup heat runs a lot, it will significantly offset your efficiency savings by choosing geothermal. There is no universal right answer because each situation is unique. As a result, they are more popular in northern climates water to water heat pumps are the top choice in northern Europe, for example, and are catching on in the northern US where air conditioning isnt essential. The geothermal system life expectancy is longer than all other conventional HVAC systems that only last 10 to 15 years. A heat pumps heating efficiency is rated by COP. The more time and effort it takes for an installation crew to get to your property, the more you might have to pay. The Energy.gov site says (PDF), Geothermal heat pumps reach high efficiencies (300%-600%). What does that mean? Enter your zip code to find out what typical solar installations cost in your neighborhood. According to the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA), GSHPs can offer between 25 and 50 percent savings on heating and cooling costs compared to conventional fossil fuel systems. As the refrigerant removes heat from the air in AC mode, the coil gets very cold. Air source systems cost less, around $7,500 to $20,000 installed, but are only 35% to 60% as efficient as ground source HVAC systems.

Receive quotes from multiple pros that meet your exact needs. ENERGYSAGE is a registered trademark and the EnergySage logo is a trademark of EnergySage, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of either EnergySage, Inc. or our licensors and are used with permission. In other words, heat and humidity are removed from the circulating air when the system is air conditioning your home. What happens inside your home with a ground source heat pump? Heat pumps are a very effective way to use less fuel and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, Heat pumps pair well with solar panels that can be purchased on the. Other than that, they operate like a lake loop. Get three itemized quotes to compare from different companies. Variable capacity heat pumps are the most expensive but also the most efficient and the best for indoor climate control of humidity and temperature balance. Most Efficient Rooftop Solar Panels for Homes in 2022, Are Solar Panels Worth the Cost? 1 ton = 12,000 BTU = 3.5 Kw per hour. After 10 years, the energy cost savings you get from running a geothermal unit will begin to swing the advantage to geothermal. Mistakes made when installing geothermal lines cost thousands of dollars to fix. Horizontal loops are more cost-effective but need large yards. All rights reserved. But the overall price is lower than for vertical systems because the trenching cost is lesser than the cost of drilling bore holes for a vertical system. Packaged: The other forced air option is a package heat pump one large outdoor component that contains the condensing unit and the air handler. Geothermal heat pump cost varies widely some would say wildly because of your system options, which are outlined below.

While the upfront cost may look large in comparison to other heating and cooling technologies, the long-term savings of geothermal systems can often more than justify an installation. Compare the companys reviews from past jobs on HomeGuide, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Google. Both a custom home energy-loss analysis and industrial software are necessary to calculate the geothermal system size needed. Looking for a geothermal installer near you? Horizontal geothermal ground loop system with a slinky design. However, they transfer the energy in distinct ways with different piping. Open-loop systems circulate well, pond, or river water as the heat-exchange fluid through the geothermal heat pump. In cold climates, is this size system big enough to heat my home at sub-zero outdoor temperatures? Untreated air is the air entering the air handler. Most likely, an air source or mini split heat pump will be a cost-effective choice over the first decade or so. A geothermal heat pumps EER is a metric that rates its ability to cool an area efficiently. Radiant heat is very comfortable heat without the potential air quality issues of forced air. Expensive backup power units run too often with undersized ground loops. A piece of equipment called a desuperheater can be added to provide domestic hot water (water normally heated in a water heater) for your home. Enter your zip code to see solar quotes near you. Installing a ground source heat pump is a large project , so you might expect to pay between $10,000 - $30,000 on a system. How much does an air source heat pump cost? The most efficient air source split system heat pumps are 55% to 60% as efficient as closed loop ground source units and are installed for 50% to 60% of the cost of geothermal. *Prices use the average cost per ton. What is treated air? Loops are placed in each well. Geothermal heat pump installations are not DIY projects because: Get free estimates on HomeGuide from trusted geothermal installers near you: Get free estimates on HomeGuide from trusted pros: Let us know about your needs so we can bring you the right pros. Is there a federal tax credit for geothermal HVAC systems? One of the biggest advantages of ground source heat pumps (and a big reason why you can save on energy costs by going geothermal) is their efficiency. Water to air heat pumps must have efficiency ratings of 17.1 EER in a closed loop or 21.1 in an open loop. Hire a structural engineer first to follow building safety codes. Yes. Some equipment is on the lower end of the quality scale (sometimes called contractor grade). Depending on the depth of the holes, they might hit water, but that doesnt improve or detract from performance or efficiency. The deeper the trenches, the less the soil is affected by surface temperatures, and the more efficient the system will be. What are the best geothermal heat pump brands? Efficiency varies by location actually by the temperature of the water the loop is submerged in. $14,000 to $42,000 for most systems. Ask a geothermal installer. Get free estimates from heat pump installers near you or view our cost calculator below. In a river, intake is upstream of discharge. A geothermal system draws heat from below the frost line where temperatures remain 45 F to 75 F. A closed-loop geothermal heating and cooling system works with these parts: Open-loop geothermal systems work similarly, except they transfer heat by pumping water from a backyard body of water. How long will this project take, and how do you handle unexpected delays? A geothermal heating system costs $100 to $200 monthly in electricity fees when properly sized. Highly optimized geothermal systems dont run all the time because larger loop fields supply extra heating or cooling in extreme climates. The US DOE suggests that up to 30% of heated or cooled air is wasted as it leaks from ducts. So, the range is 24,000 to 84,000 BTU/hour. So, like open loop lake systems, they are not as common as underground systems. Only ENERGY STAR certified systems are eligible. Installing a geothermal pond closed-loop system costs $10,000 to $32,000 on average, depending on the size and pond location.

Geothermal systems should get annual service to clean the coils, filters, ducts, and condensate traps. Key facts for geothermal heat pumps (GHP) and ground source heat pumps (GSHP): Geothermal heating costs $4,000 to $8,000 per ton on average, with prices ranging from $2,200 to $12,000 per ton, depending on the system type and site-specific work. Contractors install multiple horizontal loops 4 to 10 deep in rows 100 to 400 long. Most homes need 0.25 to 0.75 acres of land for the trenches. Auxiliary heat: The air handler is typically outfitted with electric heat strips ranging in size from 5kW to 30kW. The air handler is connected to the homes ductwork with a short duct. Because temperature deep in the ground is more stable than closer to the surface, the fluid circulating in vertical loops gets cooler in summer and warmer in winter than fluid in shallower horizontal trenches. Select contractors with several years of experience installing geothermal lines. The number of holes is at least two but up to six might be needed with size from 4 to 8. Sizes range from 2 tons to 7 tons, which is the equivalent of 24,000 to 84,000 BTU/hour. Fluids inside the lines of shallow loop fields freeze in colder climates when not installed far enough below the soils frost line. Any home technology upgrade will come with a range of equipment options to choose from. Installation costs vary widely according to the home design. These are radiant heat geothermal installations, with the equipment in a package, usually installed indoors. Do they have experience pressure grouting the space between the loop tube and the borehole wall after drilling? Compare upfront costs with the cost of running the systems based on their efficiency levels. Open-loop systems use 5 to 8 gallons of water per minute. This link should be updated for 2022 by the end of the year. Geothermals Big Question: Is cutting energy use and operating cost every month by 15% to more than 60% compared with an air source heat pump worth the upfront cost of a geothermal heat pump system? Will the drillers make a borehole to the exact specifications needed for my system? The downside is that ductwork is necessary. Ground source heat pumps are produced with efficiencies of 18 to 58 EER, which is equivalent to 20.5 to 67 SEER. What's a Typical Cost To Install a Heat Pump? In most cases, a ground source heat pump system will save you money in the long run, but the upfront costs of installation can look a little daunting. However, the high upfront costs and $150 to $350 in annual maintenance, isn't worth it to some homeowners. In winter, heat is extracted from the intake water before it is discharged. Get free custom quotes from qualified pros in your area. For smaller homes with lower heating and cooling loads, expect to be on the lower end of this spectrum. Some statessuch as Massachusetts and Pennsylvaniaoffer residential rebates for ground source heat pump installations. Consider the following property requirements to install every kind of geothermal system: You can drive over geothermal lines once contractors compact the soil above them. Variable capacity geothermal heat pumps are uncommon, but there are a few available. Given the heavy equipment that installers need to dig the appropriate trenching for ground loops, its important that your property is accessible to large machinery. If you have free access to a pond or lake, then you can install an open loop system for a lot less money than a closed loop system and get higher efficiency. They provide emergency heat if the heat pump fails. The efficiency ratings are from Energy Stars list of the most efficient ground source heat pumps. In terms of BTU/hour of heat removed (AC) or added (Heat mode), each ton is 12,000 BTU/hour. COP, or coefficient of performance, is a way to measure the efficiency of a heat pump. Some brands that make air source heat pumps also offer geothermal, but often the equipment is manufactured for them by a geothermal specialist. Installing a closed-loop vertical geothermal system costs $20,000 to $38,000 on average. About 21 EER at the low end to 57 EER at the top. The intake and discharge points are separated by as much distance as the property allows to prevent the same water being drawn back in that was just released. Drilling boreholes is the most expensive part of this installation. Geothermal heating installation costs $15,000 to $35,000 on average for a complete system. Depending on the soil and rock type under your property, your installer may need to use a more or less expensive material for the ground loop to make sure your system isnt at risk of being damaged. Get free estimates from geothermal installers near you. The number is a ratio of the heat removed from your home over the amount of electricity used to do so, meaning that a higher EER rating means a more efficient system. Comparing pros and cons, Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE), Ground source heat pump installations range in price from $10,000 to $30,000, Ground source heat pumps are eligible for numerous incentives including statewide programs and the Residential Energy Tax Credit. What other incidental costs should I expect? Coils stay submerged 8 to 12 deep to prevent freezing. Dont accept the recently banned Freon R22 in any new system. Reduce energy bills by 5% to 30% by improving the homes overall insulation to boost a geothermal systems energy performance. Compare the best offers from solar installers near you. Split: Most of these are split systems, which means there is an outside component, the condensing unit, and an indoor unit. Older systems use to discharge water into the sewage system, but new systems recirculate contained water instead to avoid possible environmental hazards. Open-loop systems are submerged pipes circulating well, lake, or pond water. Beware of ultra-low quotes that often mean lower-quality work. While some debate remains on this subject, the best information is that horizontal loops are roughly 10% to 15% less efficient than vertical systems and closed loop systems using a water source. Compare that with 18 to 30 EER for Energy Star ground source heat pumps, which makes mini split units 60% to 67% as efficient. These are among the most commonly installed, but they require a large amount of property for the horizontal trenches. The average for the above-ground equipment is 20-25 years with regular maintenance, though a little less for packaged components. This ground-source HVAC system type employs ductwork. GSHPs can offer between 25 and 50 percent savings on heating and cooling costs compared to conventional fossil fuel systems. This is the cost for the equipment, either an outdoor condensing and air handler for indoors or a packaged unit that contains both. Qualifying components meet the standards of the Renewable Energy Tax Credits. Horizontal loop ground source systems cost more than those using a body of water due to more extensive excavation. Along with the heat pump unit and ground loop, your home duct system is a vital component to any GSHP system. Select contractors accredited by The National Ground Water Association. Get free estimates from trusted heat pump contractors near you. This could be due to parts/supply shortages or quality/performance issues they are seeking to resolve. Trenches from 3 feet to 8 feet deep are excavated, and straight runs of piping or flexible coils of tubing are laid in the trenches and covered. Fossil fuel-produced electricity is only necessary to run the fan and circulation pump. How do you manage hauling away or processing excavation debris?

As with other closed loop systems, a water and antifreeze combination is used as the heat transfer medium, and the transfer takes place in a heat exchanger in the systems air handler. Compare quotes, message or call pros, and hire only when ready. A geothermal heat pump costs $4,000 to $8,000 per ton to install, depending on the loop type, home size, and location. Our guess is that the program or something like it will be renewed beyond 2023, but thats not a sure thing. There, the liquid is cooled as it transfers heat into the water. Open-loop geothermal systems cost $10,000 to $28,000 installed on average. A geothermal installer designs and sizes the system based on home energy audits, Manual J calculations, and specialized software. Water submerged open loop: $14,000 $35,000, Water submerged closed loop: $15,000 $37,000, Horizontal closed loop: $17,000 $39,000. What is heat pump COP? The price of a complete, new system is $14,000 to $42,000 thats the wild range. They are the least efficient but most affordable. The air handler contains a refrigerant coil. Single stage units run at full capacity whenever heating and cooling.

The three major types of ground loopshorizontal, vertical, and pond/lakeall come with varying costs. The best type depends on the existing HVAC system. These brands include American Standard, Bosch, Bryant/Carrier (made by ClimateMaster), Trane and York. The average electric bill increases when backup heaters run during extreme temperatures or if the geothermal lines freeze. Air source units are available in SEER ratings of 14 to 26 SEER. Installing a horizontal closed-loop geothermal system costs $15,000 to $34,000 on average. Geothermal systems use electricity to power the heat pump only. For a 4,000+ square foot home, costs will be more than $10,000. In some cities, discharge permit fees for pumping into ponds costs. Choose installers who use EPA-approved refrigerants in their ground-loop lines, such as R-410A. A significant cost factor is the condition of the soils rocky soil takes longer and is harder on equipment than other soil types, so cost rises. Loop costs are below. The high stage, or 100% capacity, is used when the thermostat setting is changed by more than a few degrees, or the outside temperature is extreme. Also called the Residential Energy Credits form, it is IRS form 5695. It isnt the same water cycling through the piping. Horizontal and vertical ground loops are much more common in GSHP installations, and the type you install will depend on the available space on your property.

A geothermal heat pump costs $15,000 to $35,000 to install on average, depending on the system size and loop type. The most efficient are close to 34 EER, which is about 60% as efficient as an open loop system. Copyright 2009-2022 EnergySage, Inc. In some cases, conversions arent possible. Open-loop systems cost $10,000 to $28,000 on average. This means youll have access to reliable, low-cost heating and cooling for several decades, which in turn means significant lifetime savings from geothermal. A geothermal closed-loop system costs $15,000 to $38,000 on average, depending on the loop placement. As a comparison, the best oil-fueled furnaces can only approach a 1-to-1 ratio of energy consumed to heat energy provided. These costs include excavation or drilling, loop materials and the labor cost of installation. The indoor equipment is an air handler, just like those used in air source heat pump systems. And as you might guess, lake systems are mostly used in moderate and warm climates where river and pond water temperatures fluctuate throughout the year between cool and warm, but never extremely cold.

If you are concerned about the price tag for geothermal energy, understanding the rebates and incentives available to you can help you determine if it is something you want to invest in. Most manufacturers offer sizes starting at 1.5 or 2 tons up to 6 tons. Are all labor and materials fees in this estimate? Water to water systems must have a rating of 16.1 EER (closed loop) or 20.1 EER (open loop). Millions of people ask HomeGuide for cost estimates every year. Installers select a geothermal loop type to suit the climate, soil, available space, and water quality of a well, pond, or lake on the property. Mini split systems are more efficient than air source heat pumps, with EER ratings of 12 to 18 for Energy Star certified units. They have a payback period of between 5-10 years according to the Department of Energy. Energy Efficiency rating it measures how efficiently the heat pump uses electricity to remove or add heat to a dwelling. Because these ground source heat pumps are not as efficient and can cost quite a bit more than an open loop system, the advantages are fewer. How much does a geothermal heat pump cost? In winter, the liquid in the loop coils is heated by the water, and the systems heat exchanger extracts the heat for use in the home. Can you list references from your past geothermal installations? Horizontal ground loop geothermal systems are the most common residential geothermal option and are typically less expensive than vertical loop systems due to lower labor costs associated with the install. Submerged loops require a nearby water source to transfer the water's natural heat to the home through underground pipes. All You Need to Know, Ground Source Heat Pump Cost The Ultimate Buying Guide. The heated coil heats the water used for sinks, showers, laundry, etc. The loop infrastructure may last up to 40 years, so replacing it might not be necessary when you replace the heat pump and air handler.

Ground source heat pumps with the ENERGY STAR level have high EER and COP ratings: to receive an ENERGY STAR label, a ground source heat pump must be over 45 percent more efficient than standard products. In comparison, a new furnace costs $2,000 to $5,400 on average. Geothermal systems last 20 to 25 years for the indoor heat pump and 40 to 60 years for the ground loops. For large homes with ductwork needed, expect to pay more for your geothermal installation. geothermal heat pump system source: Energy.gov. Are there extra fees for this service not listed in the quote? After the EPA banned R22 production in 2020, new closed-loop geothermal units now use either: Converting geothermal systems from Freon R22 to R-410A refrigerant costs $3,000 to $10,000 to replace parts. More energy-efficient than other ground loop systems. What is geothermal heating, and how does it work? Well loops: Most setups have an intake well and a discharge well. Capacity changes in small increments to keep the indoor temperature accurate to the thermostat. Leaks from refrigerant-containing pipes pollute the local groundwater. The air handler blower circulates air over the coil, pulling in untreated air and pushing treated air into the rooms of your home through ductwork. Expect to pay more money for a heat pump with a higher capacity if you have an especially large area to keep warm or cool. Geothermal pond closed-loop system installation. Will you perform an initial energy audit of my home before calculating the size of the system I need?

A geothermal heat pump costs $15,000 to $35,000 and provides heating and cooling 25% to 65% cheaper. A package unit is chosen where there is no basement or crawlspace in the house where an air handler can be installed. Avoid buying geothermal systems with R22 as the price of Freon R22 in circulation keeps increasing.