I am planning on building a house within one year, and going to be as energy efficient as possible. I am already planning on using air krete insulation in the walls, and have become interested in installing a Geo Thermal system. The three I am considering are Climate Master, ECONAR, and Geo Comfort. My question is are these good reputable companies selling good products? Is there some sort of consumer reporting on how each of these companies compare? Thankyou in advance for any information provided.

I don't know those brands but have had the following spec'd recently:

- Powersmart “Premium E” 5 Ton water-to-water heat pump with DHW (R-410A)
- Desuperheater for domestic hot water
- Dual Grundfoss Pump Flow center
- Venmar model 1.8 High Efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilator

Any comments on these would be welcome too.

As you probably have found, ground coupled heat pump systems are pricey. I maintain that they are also uneccessary for new construction in fairly sunny climates. I just posted this at HeatingHelp.com on the wall

I've been living in my new SIP house for a year now. It has simple passive solar features such as south facing windows, and 2 concrete floors on two levels. In one year I've spent $80 on nat. gas for space heating, for about 6000 heating degree days.

The lesson for me was: minimize your first cost on the heating system if you're in a cold but sunny climate. A few electric heaters in the right spots will save at least $10k vs. a complete in-floor hydronic gas boiler or heat pump system.

If I had done this, my yearly space heat bill would be more like $200. In the long term, electric cost will be more stable than natural gas, because electricity can come from renewables like wind and solar.

The radiant heat in my basement slab has never, ever, come on even when it was -5F outside. Window shades on the south windows for Sept and Oct. are needed to prevent overheating.

For a great discussion of passive solar design, check out OurCoolHouse.com Keep in mind he went with a heat pump because the climate is cold and cloudy in winter, hot and humid in summer. Concrete floors and south facing windows don't really add to the cost of the house.

Here's a link to the ongoing thread:
[url href=http://forums.invision.net/Thread.cfm?CFApp=2Thread_ID=31130mc=5]Geothermal on the Wall[/url]

I'm a newbee here. Unfortuntately, I don't live in a mid-century design house, but I do have a ground source heatpump system.

Over 7 years ago, my wife and I moved into our new construction 3,000 sq ft rancher in Northern Maryland. When we spec'd the house with the builder, there where three basic requirements: engineered floor joist; six inch exterior walls, and ground source heatpump system.

To make a long story shorter, we have been living with a WaterFurnace International system and couldn't be more pleased. Everything in our home is electric (because of concerns about oil/gas delivery in winter ). Our average cost (budget billing, so it's the same each month) has been $100 to $129 (this year because of increased fuel cost) per month. The system utilizes an 800 foot loop buried 5 feet underground. It has performed flawlessly (knock on wood) and have recommended the systeem to many others. In fact, our builder (who didn't even know what ground source meant when I gave him our requirements) retro-fitted is four year old colonial with a ground source system as well as the HVAC contractor we used.

I have to agree with Kevin in Denver that it is very important to build the house with energy use in mind. Things as simple as a programmable thermostat and all the way up to top of the line windows will bring noticable benefit.

Based upon our experience, I would suggest looking in to systems by WaterFurnace (http://www.waterfurnace.com/).

Good luck with your build.

Take care,

Matt