We own a large, old, energy inefficient home in central Minnesota. Since moving here in August 1999 the cost of home heating oil has nearly quadrupled, from $0.849 to $3.239 per gallon in February 2008. (I recently heard some people paid $3.699 per gallon in March 2008.) With our current heating system in need of replacement, we recently took a hard look at all of our options hoping to find a solution that would have an impact on our energy use and costs.
Our choices came down to installing a high efficiency oil burner and hoping oil prices would stop going up, waiting to see if the city opted for natural gas in the fall of 2008, or committing to installing a geothermal system (see a future posting titled Options for details.) We felt our best option was to go geothermal.
I started gathering information on geothermal heat in 2006. I was doubtful we would be able to convert as our home used radiant heat and geothermal could only heat the water to 110 degrees (our oil burner heats it to between 140 and 180 degrees.) I was unwilling to damage the walls or woodwork or to have the ductwork visible, so converting seemed unlikely. By fall of 2006 our oil burner was beginning to leak water – too slow to require immediate replacement but we knew its days were numbered. In February of 2008, I talked to Brian, the owner of Albany Heating (http://www.albanyheat.com/), about how we could install geothermal heat. The challenge was to get ductwork to the second floor. If we could run ductwork through the chimney venting the oil burner, our problem would be solved. However, the inside measurements of the chimney were only 12x12 and the minimum size needed was 16x20. Brian suggested that by removing the chimney entirely we would be able to create a space approximately 20x20 – more than was needed for the ductwork.
I didn’t immediately embrace the idea of removing the chimney. Removal would create an opening in the aluminum roof we had installed the previous summer, and my philosophy is to avoid making major changes to the existing structure. I contacted Terry from Pogatchnik Building Restoration to see if there was any way to save the chimney above the roofline. It was about a week before Terry had an opportunity to look at the chimney. He felt that bracing could be installed, but that sagging would occur within a few years. He suggested we instead install a false chimney using plywood and a brick veneer to retain the original look. By this time, I was over my mourning period and was able to let the chimney go. The decision on whether to install a false chimney or to cover the opening with aluminum shingles will wait until late summer.
Brian’s original estimate to install a geothermal system was $34,500 and involved drilling two 180 foot wells. Brian investigated the option of directional boring in place of drilling wells, and came back with a revised estimate of $32,400. The next morning we received additional encouragement to convert. We received a delivery of fuel oil to replace what had been burned in the previous four weeks – at a cost of $1,295.60. We suspected Brian placed the order after delivering the estimate, but he denied it.
For me, the decision to convert to geothermal was largely financial. It is cheaper to install a new heating system than to continue to burn fuel oil, even under the assumption that oil prices will stabilize (not likely!). However, the opportunity to reduce oil consumption by more than 1600 gallons per year was also a strong incentive. Converting to green energy is the right thing to do, but likely won’t happen until clean energy is as cost effective as continuing to use oil. This is one case where the return on investment justifies the upfront expense.
Future postings will include:
Our choices came down to installing a high efficiency oil burner and hoping oil prices would stop going up, waiting to see if the city opted for natural gas in the fall of 2008, or committing to installing a geothermal system (see a future posting titled Options for details.) We felt our best option was to go geothermal.
I started gathering information on geothermal heat in 2006. I was doubtful we would be able to convert as our home used radiant heat and geothermal could only heat the water to 110 degrees (our oil burner heats it to between 140 and 180 degrees.) I was unwilling to damage the walls or woodwork or to have the ductwork visible, so converting seemed unlikely. By fall of 2006 our oil burner was beginning to leak water – too slow to require immediate replacement but we knew its days were numbered. In February of 2008, I talked to Brian, the owner of Albany Heating (http://www.albanyheat.com/), about how we could install geothermal heat. The challenge was to get ductwork to the second floor. If we could run ductwork through the chimney venting the oil burner, our problem would be solved. However, the inside measurements of the chimney were only 12x12 and the minimum size needed was 16x20. Brian suggested that by removing the chimney entirely we would be able to create a space approximately 20x20 – more than was needed for the ductwork.
I didn’t immediately embrace the idea of removing the chimney. Removal would create an opening in the aluminum roof we had installed the previous summer, and my philosophy is to avoid making major changes to the existing structure. I contacted Terry from Pogatchnik Building Restoration to see if there was any way to save the chimney above the roofline. It was about a week before Terry had an opportunity to look at the chimney. He felt that bracing could be installed, but that sagging would occur within a few years. He suggested we instead install a false chimney using plywood and a brick veneer to retain the original look. By this time, I was over my mourning period and was able to let the chimney go. The decision on whether to install a false chimney or to cover the opening with aluminum shingles will wait until late summer.
Brian’s original estimate to install a geothermal system was $34,500 and involved drilling two 180 foot wells. Brian investigated the option of directional boring in place of drilling wells, and came back with a revised estimate of $32,400. The next morning we received additional encouragement to convert. We received a delivery of fuel oil to replace what had been burned in the previous four weeks – at a cost of $1,295.60. We suspected Brian placed the order after delivering the estimate, but he denied it.
For me, the decision to convert to geothermal was largely financial. It is cheaper to install a new heating system than to continue to burn fuel oil, even under the assumption that oil prices will stabilize (not likely!). However, the opportunity to reduce oil consumption by more than 1600 gallons per year was also a strong incentive. Converting to green energy is the right thing to do, but likely won’t happen until clean energy is as cost effective as continuing to use oil. This is one case where the return on investment justifies the upfront expense.
Future postings will include:
- Options: Details of operating and installation costs for our different options
- Specifications: Specs on the system we chose
- Directional Boring
- Chimney Removal
- Decommissioning of Old System
- Ductwork Installation
- Furnace Installation
- Desuper Water Heater
- Taxes/Rebates
- History of Energy Expenses
- Previous Owners' Efforts at Reducing Heating Expense
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