Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)

12. Thanks, I love the details.

Tue Dec 4, 2012, 10:54 PM

Dec 2012

It leaves me with a few questions. Is it really possible to heat a house when the ground temp is well below the temp you need in the house? Can it really pull that much heat from ground that is (at the lowest) 35? Or will that require supplemental heat at that point? I have always been baffled by heat pumps, since I lived in Houston and had a heat pump----and cooled the house when temps outside were in the 90's. I only half understood it, but I did see it work.

Also, would the heat removed from the house in the summer have any affect on crops planted? Will it warm or dry the soil more than normal?

Fascinating system. You will have to give it a year of use and let us know what you think of it.

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In case you've never seen the hole for a horizontal geothermal field [View all] HereSince1628 Dec 2012 OP

I suppose if you dug that thing yourself, it might show some evidence of frugality!!! MADem Dec 2012 #1

Hopefully, the efficiency of the system in operation will yield savings HereSince1628 Dec 2012 #2

I thought they were vertical and have never seen this. cbayer Dec 2012 #3

Vertical is usually just used when space is limited. Kaleva Dec 2012 #4

It works pretty much as does a geothermal well... HereSince1628 Dec 2012 #5

Sounds like a great system. cbayer Dec 2012 #6

There are no local emissions. WE-Utilities requires a 300 amp electrical service HereSince1628 Dec 2012 #7

I hope you will continue to post about the results as winter really sets in. cbayer Dec 2012 #8

In the interest of frugality...the system may not go into service before mid-Mar... HereSince1628 Dec 2012 #9

Looks interesting. Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #10

The pic is the trench that holds a heat transfer system for a geothermal assisted heat pump HereSince1628 Dec 2012 #11

Thanks, I love the details. Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #12

What did you dig it with? TxRider Jan 2013 #13