Cohousing-L Mailing List: Geothermal heat pumps

[vbradova (vbradova]

I got into searching the web for info on this form of heating, cooling and hot
water heating, and was just blown over by the overwhelming positives of this
new technology. It seems to have come of age (not some iffy new thing), it 
drastically
cuts energy bills, does not pollute, runs quietly indoors, and it is often 
subsidized
by special low interest mortgages and home improvement loans. Even the US 
government
is singing its praises! A total win/win situation. I am so impressed I want
to install it in our current house -- the oil prices are thru the roof, and
we have a steep curvy driveway that is hell to navigate in the winter, and the
plowers rip it up and charge an arm and a leg when we have to scramble to get
it ready for the oil truck...

So... I called our utility; they have not heard of it and have no info. Called
a lot of heating suppliers in our area, most have not heard of it, one said
that it does not work in the north east because of our high electricity prices,
and one said "we do it all the time" but could not find a technician to speak
with me, and I suspect they meant just plain ole heat pumps, not the geothermal
kind.

Have any other northeastern cohousing groups done these pumps? Any advice re
suppliers and installers?

Vera