Quote:
Originally Posted by pachai
The builder asked me what kind of heat/cooling I want. Well, GSHP, of course!
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I hope you are paying at least as much attention to your insulation/infiltration issues as you are to heating issues. That's really where it all starts. Nice thing about insulation is there are no moving parts, and no service calls in the middle of the night. Many people make the mistake of thinking about heating at the expense of insulation, that's really putting the cart before the horse. A BTU saved is cheaper than a BTU made.
And of course, if your heat loss can be reduced, so can the size of your heat pump and those electric bills. Best part is you will be able to
reduce the size of your loop field. The rules-of-thumb for estimating the size of your heat pump and the size of your loop field are based on the square footage of your house. You should go the max ('do it right' as you put it) and then have a professional analyze the heat load, and use
that as your starting point.
So there's a
great manual that was posted on the manifesto thread, and it is loaded with techniques to retain the heat you have paid for. I strongly reccomend it.
I don't know if you mentioned where it is you live, because that could influence your decision as to the best choice. GSHP is not the hands-down winner in all cases. If you live in a very mild climate, you'd be better off with mini-splits. Their COP is getting really high.
If you live in a harsh climate, Ground Source is the way to go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pachai
I have also been following the HomeMade GSHP Manifesto thread, and have even built a drilling rig, but winter and bulldozer came before I finished my own tests on it. What tests I did showed me that it would be a fun project, but I could not possibly do it on the builder's tight time schedule.
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Yeah, that's really the 'gotcha'...
Quote:
Originally Posted by pachai
One concern I have is whether a "homeowner-assembled" heat pump would
impact home value positively or negatively.
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I assume you are not talking about building your own heatpump, but rather assuming responsibility for getting the HP system assembled and working. Even that is a lot of work, almost a crusade.
If you're considering some serious DIY options, buying a minisplit to heat some of or most of the house will buy you time. The intrusion hole is not too big, and you could sell it or keep it in place as a backup.
Something else to consider is the wife part. Trying to DIY something as fundamental as heat can be very trying.
-AC_Hacker