Archive for the ‘geothermal cost’ Category

How to choose a contractor

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

You want geothermal heating and cooling system for your home. We have discussed a few options for financing in our previous post. But, how do you get the best value for your money? The answer of course is to find the most experienced, trustworthy contractor in your area. Remember, these are the people that you will rely on for years to come in servicing your system and keeping it running at its most efficient.

You will need an HVAC dealer to size and install your geothermal heat pump on the inside of your home. You will also need a quality geothermal loop installer to do the outside work and bring the piping in to your furnace.

Some important things to consider in choosing the right contractor:

•   The United States Dept of Energy states “because of the technical knowledge and equipment needed to properly install the piping of a geothermal heat pump system, installation is not a do it yourself project.

•  Don’t assume that all installers do work of equal quality.

•   Make sure your furnace installer has done a thorough heat/loss calculation on your home. This will take into consideration all factors –home location, number of windows, number of doors, depth of insulation, and other factors in determining the size furnace and loop field you will need.

•  Quality HVAC dealers run a detailed, computerized heat/loss program to determine size of loop and furnace that will most efficiently run in your home. If your HVAC dealer says “I can eyeball that” or “from my experience I believe your house needs a 4 ton” –Run away…far, far, away!Demand a quality loop contractor. Most loop contractors sub out to the homeowner or HVAC dealer and it can be your decision which loop contractor you would like to employ.

•  Check both the HVAC and Loop Contractor’s qualifications (IGSHPA – International Ground Source Heat Pump Association) and affiliations. Years in business, years in geo, number of installations, and customer testimonials are also very important.

•  Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Most loop contractors are a wealth of information. Take a little time to do research online, jot down some notes and then spend time getting comfortable with your installer.Consider using Yoder Geothermal for your loop installation if you live in Ohio, WV, or western PA. They come highly recommended as professional and knowledgeable in the geothermal industry and have installed more than 5000 geothermal loop systems.

Hope these suggestions are helpful. You’ll be glad you did your “homework” as you enjoy a new, properly sized and installed, efficiently running, geothermal heating and cooling system.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Becky

Posted in Geothermal heating and cooling, geothermal cost, geothermal installation, quality geothermal loopers | No Comments »

I want a geothermal system but how do I pay for it?

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

We have discussed the many pros of heating/cooling your new or existing home with a geothermal heat pump system. You have probably found by now that geothermal will save you lots of money on your heating and cooling bills in the long run, even enough to pay for itself. These facts however, do not help in coming up with the money for a system. Here are a few things to consider.
1. Paying cash up front is always the best. This allows you the immediate comfort of a geothermal heating and cooling system. For most of us, cash is not an option and considering financing is the next step.
2. A home equity loan or adding to your existing home equity loan is the most popular way to pay for your geothermal system. Adding a green energy system to your home often adds value in addition to the monthly savings you enjoy.
3. When deciding if now is the time to purchase your geothermal heating /cooling system, take into account how long you plan to stay in your existing home . Also important is the age of your current furnace system. It may be time to switch out your gas/oil furnace in the near future anyway.
4. Consider an “Energy Efficient Mortgage” or EEM if buying or refinancing you home. According to the energystar.gov website, EEMs give borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective, energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans thereby allowing borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount and a better, more energy-efficient home. Learn more at http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/bldrs_lenders_raters/EEM_Fact_Sheet.pdf
5. Furnace Manufacturers may offer financing for part or all of the project. Be sure to choose a reputable HVAC dealer and loop installer
6. The best financial reason to install geothermal continues to be that 30% of your investment will be returned on your taxes!

Enjoying the comfort and savings of a geothermal system may be only a few creative financing decisions away. Good Luck!

Becky

Posted in Geothermal heating and cooling, geothermal cost, tax rebate | 1 Comment »

Unprecedented Tax Credits—Money in your pocket!!

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

These are exciting times my friends. If you have been thinking of greening up your heating system and making it more efficient, this scenario is just too good to pass up.

The tax credit cap was lifted on Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems and their loops for the first time in history. Because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Geothermal systems can receive a 30% tax credit if placed in service before December 31, 2016. Previously the geothermal tax credit had been limited to $2000.

This is a real tax credit not a deduction. A tax credit reduces tax owed dollar-for-dollar –while a tax deduction only removes a percentage of that owed tax. There has never been a better time to invest in Geothermal Heating and Cooling Technology.

An investment is the only way we can describe this particular scenario. Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems achieve Energy Efficiency Ratings in the 30’s. When you consider the return on investment in energy savings (up to 50% or more) coupled with geothermal tax incentives, you cannot afford to put your money anywhere else!

Join us as in our future posts we explore the world of geothermal heating and cooling and how homeowners can make this green technology work for them. For more than 15 years we’ve been installing geothermal loop and we are VERY excited about the future.

Posted in Geothermal heating and cooling, geothermal cost, tax rebate | No Comments »

Water to Water Geothermal Earns Energy Star

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

Great news for the geothermal industry!  Water-to-water geothermal furnaces have now earned the Energy Star rating for the first time.  With this new approval, homeowners who install these popular water-to water geothermal systems will now be eligible for the 30% federal tax credit!

We all knew these systems could save homeowners a lot of money on their heating bills in winter, but now the water-to-water unit has been given the “green light” of approval.  Watch for this market to make a big splash in 2010 and the following years.

Water-to-water geothermal heat pumps use the same earth loop found in water-to-air geothermal units, but instead of heating air, they heat water that is circulated through tubing under your flooring.  This type of heating is also called “radiant heat” and has been used with gas boilers for many years.  Geothermal is a way to lower the cost of this type of heating while improving the environmental impact.

Posted in geothermal cost, geothermal wells | No Comments »

The New YoderGeothermal.com

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

We’re excited to announce a brand new look for YoderGeothermal.com. This site is dedicated to providing reliable geothermal information for residential installations across much of Ohio and western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Geothermal was once a term only talked about in classrooms across the Ohio Valley.  Today, homeowners all across the area are taking advantage of stored geothermal energy in the ground around their homes.

The word Geothermal literally means “Earth Heat” which is exactly what it is.  And geothermal systems are able to capture that heat and deliver it efficiently into homes anywhere in the world.

In the summer, or warmer climates, these systems are designed to use the ground as a deposit for heat captured in your home providing you with a comfortable air conditioned environment.

Why is geothermal a renewable resource?  Geothermal energy comes from the suns rays, of which the earth absorbs 40%.  That’s more than 500 times what mankind can use in a year.  Geothermal systems simply extract that heat in the winter and return it to the earth in the summer, renewing the ground for another season.

If you’re looking for an alternative to the traditional fossil fuel systems, look no further.  Geothermal is the most cost effective and money saving heating and cooling system on the market today.  At efficiencies around 400% in many cases, it’s between 3 and 5 times as efficient as other options on the market.

Be sure to check out our new web site and begin saving energy the geothermal way.

Posted in geothermal cost, geothermal installation, quality geothermal loopers | No Comments »