Why I Went With Geothermal For My Net Zero Home
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- Опубликовано: 27 май 2024
- Why I Went With Geothermal For My Net Zero Home. Get up to 30% off the Atmotube PRO today! tidd.ly/435l7oy In a recent heat pump video I covered how air source heat pumps are getting so much better in the cold, but in my new house I decided not to go with one. Instead I went with the more expensive option: a geothermal heat pump. Why did I decide it was a better option to drill into the earth 400 hundred feet at more cost for my new home? I’ll run through that, but there’s also a few other things I kind of went a little nuts on in my house that are worth touching on too, like smart electric panels, a crazy home network, and more. Let’s get into the current state of my net zero energy home.
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Matt, I actually did a manufactured 2 story (4 Boxes) Home 25 years ago. My home exceeded all code at the time and untill 2018. I even got to do a rebuild do to a house fire in 2019. The rebuild allowed me to exceed current code again! I say this because I curious as to how your handling the the attic space insulation as well as what your belt and suspenders actions were on wall to Fondation interface, as well as pentrations especially in garage to house walls. My experience is system architect that also owned a insulation company:)😂
I am too old to start over with a new house so I have to live through your home-building videos, so show everything. I am on my second Waterfurnace. Don't worry the first one lasted over 25 years. I cool most of the year and the heat exchanger for the water heater takes care of almost all of my hot water needs.
@@bobjohnson4512 when you built 25 years ago, did you also do r19 with 6 inch walls and in your attic, what kinda insulation did you do?
I have a few questions but will stick to three 🤣
- you seem to have everything you need for solar water heating including a metal roof but it doesn't looked to be planned even though solar heating is around 80% efficient. Why? ☺️
- I noticed you have a low voltage line for window controllers, are you doing low voltage DC for some lights? This can be more efficient if you draw low voltage DC direct from the batteries.
- there does not seem to be great use of passive heating/cooling in the design. Just wondering if that was considered? Just some random examples of passive would be trees, thick thermal walls, water features, well placed paving. The shutters are a good idea and semi passive. Did you ever consider misters/foggers in key places to help with heat?
I am excited for all the videos on the new house!!!! I want to see it all I am a huge a building science nerd and love all the little details. Shoutout to Mr. Matt Risinger for making me into this monster.
This is so cool! I've been fascinated with the idea of a super efficient house, so it's a pleasure to watch someone actually do it.
👍
It's being done all over Europe. ;)
@@UndecidedMF So what happens when the house become sentient, ushering in the singularity?
You don't have to be wealthy or spend a lot to have an efficient and affordable home.
I have been off grid over 20+ years now with a small 600 watt system and have most modern conveniences. Heat, cooking and water from propane with woodstove and electric backups. Super insulated smaller cabin that is very energy efficient and a small swamp cooler uses 85 watts. internet, phone and I run a business online and make YT videos.
Most people don't have the money to have a custom zero energy home built with all those expensive systems but they can do what I and many off gridders have done.
No house payments, no utility bills and freedom!
I got you. Take some cinder blocks fill them with concrete and rear. Bam you to can own a super efficient home. And 1,000,000 times less cost.
We've been in our house in northern Spain for 8 years now. We went with a geothermal system (150 meter deep well) and have been mostly happy with it, especially with the energy savings. What we didn't like was having the ground-source "pipe" settle and break some of the fittings. It did this twice, in the first two winters. We think it was due to underground water flows causing the ground to settle. After fixing that, it's been good. We (I) also installed an extensive smart-home system (Loxone and KNX) that controls all the lights, shades, blinds, underfloor heating, solar panels and many other things. I spent a lot of time developing and implementing logic to account for the sun, external temperature, interior conditions to drive shading, heating and cooling. I found that in the end, you get a feel for your house and can replace most that with simple timers and schedules. The great thing about the smart-home system is that I can drive it as complexly or simply as I like, and experiment with a mix of the two. Enjoy your setup, it'll be a super fun toy! ;-).
Thanks for sharing!
I would really love to hear more about your smart-home system. I want to build one of my own that controls shading to account for the sun + outside weather. All the best!!
Exactly and I am glad you pointed out that failures in geothermal systems are common and can be costly to repair. Especially in cold country where your water pipes freeze overnight with no heat.
Why did you mix in Loxone? Just out of curiosity. I understaand Bacnet or Modbus to communicate with some other stuff to KNX, but Loxone?
Btw also have KNX as main system, can't beat the stability of it. Never restared. I'm also communacting with the solar inverter and use it to start heating, boiler and so on when it's producing. Since early april I have an avrege grid consumption of 1kWh/ day :) , rest is from solar. Even the car has been charged on solar.
Interesting story about geothermal in Spain.
100% absolutely do not think you're crazy! I'm systems integrator and for over two decades have been studying and passing that on to the end user about every possible sustainability device or method under the sun. That is quite obvious from all your videos that you've taken the time to learn about everything that you explain. It's actually super cool to see someone doing this and actually thank you cuz I've directed clients prospects and engineers to your videos because I just didn't have time to sit down and explain it to them! Thank you again for all that you do and I'll send you some specs on our next project I think you'll be totally psyched!
not worth the bother. mandate good windows and insulation for builders...add solar. heatpumps and forget most of this crap. a 400ft well is what 20,000? 40,000? 1 ton of heat pump is 2000? so the time value alone would cost the entire system value -100%every single year....this is insanely uneconomical? a 2 ton heat pump 31 seer is only 2000$. maybe 3000 installed. yes you need multipe smaller for rooms etc. but still 400ft for a geothermal vs air. ffs
Don't forget to optimize which angle the window shades sit at. In the winter you want the sunlight coming in so you want to angle them to let the light in. In the summer you tend to flip the angle to keep the sun from shining directly into the rooms.
I did that with my house design. It makes a huge difference. I'll get 5 metres of sunshine into the house. The living areas on a sunny day in winter and of course known in the summer.
I've tinted all my houses windows. Helps a lot with the brutal summer solar heat gain, and I don't suffer at all in the winter, the bonus is it reduces interior light which is nice because I have very sensitive eyes.
@@DarylRaverty Hi, would you kindly share the type ( manufacturer?) of window shades that has these features? (I presume you can remotely control the angle), Thank you.
Matt - Would love to see a series of videos on each component/subsystem in your new house. We are in the design and planning stage of a second home in the NC mountains and heat pumps, super insulation, standing seam metal roof, triple pane European windows, sealed combustion fireplace, ERV, dehumidifier, etc are all on the table. I would love to hear how you thought through each option and ultimately what you decided and why. As always, thanks for the really interesting and well-researched content.
There is a very interesting modern log home manufacturer in your state. They are called Enertia Homes. Long story short their log homes are self-heating and self-cooling.
Gotcha ... going to see if I can make that happen. Deep dive on each individual thing.
You probably know the YT channels Home Performance and Matt Risenger. If not, you will probably find those channels useful
@@rcollinge325 Thanks. I will check them out.
I'd stay away from the ERV and go with an HRV. The energy savings isn't worth the additional maintenance and waste associated with it. Humidification is also important in the winter and cold environments as the low moisture can cause issues with wood, electronics and most importantly health / comfort. Humidity control is important and neglected in so many new constructions. Another overlooked aspect which I've never seen implemented in a domestic setup is free environmental cooling. In the fall and spring (and cool summer nights) there is a large time period were cooler air can be drawn into the home (filtered) to cool it. Plus there's the added bonus of getting fresh air in the house, all for the cost of running a high efficiency fan and having an outdoor temperature probe. HRV/ERV's need to be bypassed in this scenario as you don't want to reclaim the unwanted heat. Duct control (and placement) is another aspect which is barely acknowledged. Having a few smart dampers installed in an smart home (manual can be done as well) allows better air flow manipulation, hot air at ground level for heating and in summer cold air at ceiling level, how many forced air homes do you know that have freezing basements and hot upper levels. Duct design should incorporate heating AND cooling, seems like one is always compromised.
Matt, I work for StraightUp Solar in St. Louis. You're building the solution we recommend to customers all the time! Standing seam metal roof, solar with Enphase microinverters, Span panel and EV charger plus Tesla Powerwall or Enphase batteries. It's a killer solution, gives you total control and you've gone even one step further with the Water Furnace geothermal. Great update and I can't wait to see your video showing the net zero bills!
May I ask why you recommend a metal roof? I'm curious as as I don't see them super often, so would love to know their benefits. :)
@@tasia2174 Much longer useful lifespan, less susceptible to wind/hail losses. Standing seam is stupidly expensive compared to shingle though - it's generally used on commercial buildings, not residential. 99% of the time people opt for a 26 gauge (or very rarely 24 gauge) ribbed metal roof instead, as expected useful life is the same. Not quite as good a seal as standing seam though, and the foam closure strips can pop out over time. Also need to replace the fasteners every once in a while as UV exposure breaks down the gaskets and some work themselves loose due to thermal expansion/contraction. Overall, very minor maintenance every 10-15 years but considerably cheaper than standing seam.
@@deathlis thanks so much for the explanation!
And bracing
Since you mentioned working for StraightUp and they are in our neighborhood (Champaign), I would like to ask about payback. Solar is old enough now that there should be hard numbers, not just calculated, on payback. Maintenance and repair cost? I like the idea, just not sure. If it is great and pays for itself solar companies should assume all cost and maintenance and zero dollar lease from the homeowners roof/wall space.
For anyone curious on costs, a 200 amp panel upgrade was $3500 (we didn't need to trench any new wires). A 200 amp SPAN panel was quoted at $9000.
You really need to get a lot of additional efficiency out of a smart panel to make it worth the cost.
I just got a quote from my electrician in Texas for $5k installed for the Span. Doing this first to see if I need another trenched line. Shop around!
Matt, very interesting video as always. One word of advice since you're pulling air out of your bathrooms to go back through your ERV - install a preheat coil on the fresh air intake before it gets to your ERV. When it's well below freezing outside, you run a high risk of freezing condensed moisture in the ERV and breaking the heat exchange media. The heat pump also has a minimum return or entering air limit of 40 F in heating mode so you'll need to warm up the really cold outside air if the ERV doesn't warm it up enough. Make sure the ERV has a condensate drain and that the trap is primed so you don't have smell issues. WaterFurnace makes nice systems; I've used them in a couple very expensive custom homes. Keep in mind that DX systems have operation considerations so you might not get as much "variable" out of the capacity so that the system will function properly. I look forward to hearing more about how you see it operating.
This is fascinating! In Sweden this is extremely common. Possibly 20-25% have this. Lots have similar system but with local grid of heat. District heating. Lots of heat pumps also. We have Geothermal, solar panels and ESS 30kwh 🥳
It wold be interesting to see what the overall cost and breakdown costs are for your house compared to a standard setup of a house of similar size. Maybe an estimate on how long it would take to break even on savings with your house and the standard house costs.
👍 and breakout the essential components/expenditures vs. cool, purely convenient (optional) components.
He's looking at a minimum of 10X the cost of a standard setup.
There really isn't anything to compare. The house is light years better than a traditional house. It might not pay for itself but it will be more comfortable, more energy efficient, better built, and more enjoyable to live in! A well built custom home offers way more than just cutting back on utility bills!
I’ve been a fan of high performance house building and science for years. The fact that you’re doing it and getting nerdy in a way the Matt Risinger does not is both cool and educational. Looking forward to more info on the Enphase battery (LFP?), solar, and Span nerdery.
Matt, I've always enjoyed your videos. You're living my dream with this setup. No, I don't think you're crazy as I'd be doing the same exact thing. I can't wait to follow along on the journey. 5:49 fun fact - absorbent clay based bentonite is a common ingredient in cat litter. It is also used in winemaking where it binds to impurities and sinks to the bottom of the vessel thereby clearing the wine.
Honestly Matt, I would love to hear about all of those things you mentioned. I would like to build an energy efficient home for my family and I; and I really value the thought that you put into the decisions that you are making with your home. So please share it all! I personally would love to hear it. Thanks for the great content.
If you're really going full John Hammond then I expect to see raptor pens in the backyard...
Shh ... that parts a secret.
You know... There is a company trying to de-evolve some chickens so they look like dinosaurs again. Those might work...
@@skylerstevens8887hell no y'all need to leave the past and stick with the current
He's got plenty of room for them in the kitchen
Hi, Matt. Love everything about your new home, and all the tech you put into it. I can't wait to hear about how everything ends up working and how it makes your life so much better. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Matt, if this so efficient, why the government invest in it to warm up iys building and/or convert the shallow well geothermal energy to electricity and sell it to public? After all not everyone lives in an acreage to be able drill vertical or horizontal wells in their land?
I’m trying to hear a deep dive on literally everything man, smart home and eco tech is fascinating
This series promises to be a lot of fun and very educational. Looking forward to all of it!
I first witnessed geothermal heating/cooling in a small farm house renovation in 1983. It made no sense to me (no physics had yet penetrated my brain). I realize how forward thinking my friend was back then. now I am seeing multi story factory built housing efficiently assembled here at the ski resort, in very short summer seasons, and its amazingly efficient in the winter (8 months here). truly enjoy your presentations and the mind expanding information you present. this much I have decided!
Nice, Matt! Interesting to watch because I also live in New England (Massachusetts) and I also have a Water Furnace geothermal system with vertical ground loop, forced air, etc. My system is about 15 years old and this was my first year living in this house (I just moved here). It performed really well during the cold winter and even kept my house warm during the cold snaps we had that got down to -25°F. My energy bills were so much lower than all of my neighbors due to that geothermal system and my heat pump water heater. You’ve made some great choices for your new home.
We love your comment. Thanks for choosing WaterFurnace for your home.
Thanks for sharing! Hope you love your new home!
Just finished my own house build, went with the water furnace 5 series, construction of my home is ICF. Really pleased with the efficiency so far! I definitely don't regret the geothermal.
That's so good to hear. Thank you so much for choosing WaterFurnace for your home!
I'm not a contractor or a professional in the IT or other construction realm, but something about building your own home is extremely appealing to me. I would totally geek out about being able to design a home like you, and a walkthrough video would be amazing about how you designed your network and all that.
If only us plebs could afford it...
The wired network is useful in 2010. Wireless connectivity is fast enough in 2023 so it's mostly a waste of time and money. Also repairing the wired network is more complicated/buried in the wall. It IS faster though....
@@baxtronx5972 LOL you've no idea what you're talking about if you think 'fast enough' is all that matters. You even heard of duplex?
@@baxtronx5972 no mention of packet loss, scalability, reliability, or PoE
you're forgetting ping, packet loss, reliability, and more. nothing beats ethernet. wifi is inferior to wired connections in every conceivable way. the fact that you don't recognize this means you're probably not someone who uses the internet for a living. @@baxtronx5972
I look forward to seeing more videos on the tech in your new house, Matt. In January I replaced my old HVAC system with a new 19.4 SEER variable speed heat pump. Installed a Rheem heat pump water heater like yours last month. The solar panels will be installed in the next couple of weeks. It should be interesting to see how it all works out on my 20 year old house.
Love the progression of the house build! Thank you!
My Water Furnace is 3 years old, and has worked flawlessly. Highly recommend!!!
Thank you so much for your comment and for choosing WaterFurnace for your home. We appreciate you.
Honestly want to hear about all of this. I have wanted to build an energy efficient net-zero maybe passive haus for awhile so love your take on it
Matt, Home assistant is running my house as well. My company has also developed a battery, compatible with most HV solar inverters.
As for ethernet cables... I avoided them by using mostly zigbee. Yes it's wireless, but has caused no issues in two years now.
As for geothermal... I have one as well. With floor heating. And for cooling, I have a heat exchanger between 7C liquid from the ground and my recuperator/ventilator. So cooling takes no energy, I only need to run circulation pump.
And this plays well with natural convection - warm air rises up from the floor, and chilled fresh air sinks down from ceiling.
Just found you love the topics. I was an Early adopter of smart home and computer networks in 1998 I had over 600 ft of network/smart home lines in a 1300 sf home I had 16 locations with network, phone and cable tv a home office with 6 work stations all networked. All of this was connected to routers and it was fun to do. Love to hear about home automation. Solar is a special interest of mine also. Thanks
This is a killer setup, homes need to start moving toward this.
Love to see any videos with Home Assistant and and Solar Assistant, especially with SPAN and all the smart home things you have
I'd call it more of a youtuber, or geek-out setup. Atop the sponsorships are things like the Massave $15k GSHP incentive (not counting federal). While the subject matter meets max cool-factor, a good chunk may not be economic for some viewers. I think Matt admits this.
@@hcjpbluesky9916 yeah but I think most people can do certain things or combinations of things, that’s why I said move toward instead of be the standard. Obviously this house is crazy huge too but normal size houses should be built with a tight envelope & ERV system at a minimum, other things could be added layer
You're playing a huge role in educating the masses on the technology that's going to save us in the near future. Thank you for your service, man!
What percentage of people would be able to afford this type of set up?
Save us from what?
Housing density has entered the chat
@@ReidEvers He checked out a hotel that implements many of these concepts to reduce its operating costs drastically. The same could easily be done for apartments
@@namAehT Good to know, that's great.
Great one Matt - love what you are doing with your new home - and the fact that you're sharing it.
Happy that I found this channel, there are loads of useful information!
As a fellow MA resident I just want to say I love your videos and how educational they are. I'm excited to see the final product of your home! Huge congrats.
As far as automatically opening and closing shades to help regulate temp to save energy. My grandparents house was built in the 1890's. (Yes 1890 not 1980's) Since they didn't have HVAC systems the architect made the eaves stick out. (the outside roof overhang the siding). So that in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky the sunlight shines directly into the windows. While in the summer the eaves stick out enough to shade the windows so that the sun doesn't directly shine in.
How far the eaves stick out depends on your latitude. It works out all year long, even in spring and fall where the windows get partial sun.
I referenced the windows in particular because they're a big source of energy exchange. But the eaves actually help regulate temp on the entire side of the house. It works out so that the higher in the sky the sun is the more shade there is on the house, of course the lower the sun is in the sky the less shade it gets. It lets the circadian rhythm determine how much sun falls on the house both in a 24 hr and yearly cycle.
As far as aesthetics. From the street the overhang of the eaves gives it a very baroque feel. Many people seem to prefer clean, almost industrial lines these days. But if it ain't baroque don't fix it, I say. Bad dum tish.
These sorts of large overhangs are common in Prairie style architecture, for the same reason. I've heard it described as putting a large brimmed "hat" on your house.
@@RossReedstrom Oh yeah, those salt boxes with the big roof. That makes me think also. That overhang really really helps to keep the basement dry too. As long as the ground surrounding the foundation has good drainage, having the majority of the roof runoff a couple feet out helps with hydrostatic pressure.
Truly enjoy the home build updates!!!!
I appreciate your thoroughness in presenting new technology. Acceptance of new ways of doing things is probably the hardest part! Thank you!
We installed a Series 7 Geothermal system in our last house and absolutely loved it! The efficiency and level of comfort was unmatched by any system we've ever had. I hope you have as much good luck with the system as we did.
And if I may ask, what was the maximum consistent power it provided to you?.
In my hometown (in southern Germany), we did a lot of geothermal projects 15 years ago. Unfortunately, we have a unique geological formation here known as Gipskeuper. If you don't seal the borehole precisely, there's a possibility that water may penetrate this formation, causing it to expand slowly. Consequently, some houses have experienced 10cm cracks. Therefore, it is crucial to assess your geological situation before engaging in geothermal activities.
I'm sorry to read this, but your situation illustrates the most fundamental and key point that people always forget about ground source heat pump installations: putting a radiator (i.e. thermal dispersion mechanism) underground is a gamble and the thermal conductivity of that radiator can change over time. Saying it is always X degrees underground is such an oversimplification it is a disservice. As in your area, the ground may simply be marginal or unsuitable for a ground source heat pump and the only way you know ahead of time is to work with an experienced driller and designer and also do a borehole to confirm what you have at your site. I stopped recommending ground source heat pumps over ten years ago after being an advocate and having to see too many underperforming systems over the years. GSHP is not necessary in most climates and more expensive than needed, sometimes not even the most efficient option because site conditions and design/installation specifics REALLY MATTER .
WOW Matt! Super impressive setup for ur new home. As a fellow energy and home automation buff I am really excited to hear more about each of your smart home systems. Thanks for inviting us into ur new home!
I loved the walk through! you spared no expense!
I installed water furnace 5 series. In 2019. My house had oil heat and no duct work so when I wanted central air it was a no brainer for me. I have a 2 ton system upstairs and 3 downstairs. It’s an older house so needed a bigger system. The system has worked flawless even in cold NY winters. I would recommend using ecobee thermostats because they have wireless sensors and the data and control is better than anything else.
We love hearing comments like this. Thank you so much for choosing WaterFurnace for your home. We appreciate you.
Matt, great video about your new home. I have had solar for 25 years and love the way it works. Your home is an inspiration to what can be done today! So excited to hear more about your home and the systems you are using! Keep up the great work!
Thank you Matt! Love your decisions and of course the reasons for them.
Amazing home man, so happy for you and your family. Thank you for all the tech research and geeking out content! Cheers to you and your team!
You are building the house nearly the same way we are planning to re-build our place.
It would be great to get some references for contractors and architects that you work with as we are also located in MA.
Beyond what you are doing, I'm trying to explore options to put PoE lighting in the house so that I have better control over them.
Have you thought of PoE low voltage lights?
Didn't know that was a thing
@@l0gic23 they are mostly in commercial and high-end residential. Not too many mom-n-pop shops can do this
I have build my house with es32 POE wall switches, designed PCB's myself. Connected to esphome and home assistant. Never seen such reliability so far, super happy about it and definitely can recommend that.
@@andrejb.5467 wow! Do you happened to have a blogpost or something similar where we can read more about your approach?
Hi Matt! I would love to see a video on your SPAN electrical panel and the Home Assistant. I'm especially interested on how your run it locally and how you will extract the information (export to Excel or something like that). Is it possible to have this system in a remote area without internet connection? Keep up the good job :-)
👍
Me too! My smart house is mostly a smart ars!
Wow Matt! You really try to look at all aspects of your project, I can see how you can get undecided sometimes - there are so many solutions in the world but your experiences are valuable thanks for sharing, your new house looks great, I would love to do the same thing eventually!
WOW. nice to see you going deep into tech systems for the home and planet. Wish you well Matt. Financial commitment to the ideals you have is a model for us all.
A very exciting project Matt. Your site is one I regularly go to to see if I’ve missed something. I was looking yesterday for an update on your house and woke up to this. Thanks for your good work!
Thanks, Joseph! Glad you're enjoying these home build videos.
Awesome video Matt! I would DEFINITELY be interested in seeing a future video on your span setup with Home Assistant. I'm all about smart home features 😃 Keep up the great work with the informative and entertaining videos Matt!
Ditto, but dumb down the Home Assistant vid for those of us intimidated by having to install separate operating systems, to run the d*** software ;) I'm on Shelly devices, but know HA should be next level.
I love when someone gets the opportunity to lose their mind over making their own custom home. Go full mad scientist! I wish i could ever have the opportunity to have my own home but I'll vicariously live through and enjoy it through other people's experience's.
Very keen for deep dives on every topic!
Several years ago I helped a friend install radiant infloor heating in his new house. Then a few years later I had the opportunity to stay at his house and the warm floors were glorious so I can't imagine building a house without it. So i'd be interested in a video explaining your decision.
?t=7m52s someone should tell his mechanical engineer about PID loop tuning…. However, the argument still stands that radiant floor heating systems win, eg., embedded PEX tubing would not be nearly as effective at cooling as for heating since the warmer air tends to convect the air upward and mix it in a heating scenario.
@@TroyeWelch My dream scenario would be radiant floor heating and heat pump, I don't think it needs to be one or the other, and if it's with geothermal source, it could be pretty efficient.
I'm really interested to see this build come together. The automation is particularly interesting to me and the power components
Love this video. Love your approach. Never apologize for any of it. ❤
Great Video Matt. Keep up the Great Work.
Sounds great but I would have included more passive solar in my design. By the way my 20 year old Water furnace is still running as new but I would like a soft start for solar use.
Thank you so much for choosing WaterFurnace for your home. We appreciate you.
@@WaterFurnace haha 20 years ago many thought I was out of my mind but I had the last laugh at the bank every month, now with solar I almost forget what utility means. Cheers
That’s awesome - really the mindset that any new building should be designed with! The automation between systems would be very interesting. Integration between systems that aren’t natively designed to work with each other is often the biggest challenge.
This makes me excited for the future of homes. Love this
Love it when someone goes all out on what they passionate about
My parents went with a 2 well WaterFurnace system back in the early 90s. They loved it. At the time the house was the highest energy efficient home in the province (Canada which see -40C in the winters in their location). The heating and cooling was very cheap to run.
Your parents sound very smart! 😁
Keep the new home videos coming, Matt! I’m hoping to use the same Water Furnace heat pump in a couple of years to retrofit my house, also with vertical well. 👍
How exciting. We hope you use the same WaterFurnace unit too!
Love this home-building project. I’ve had a geothermal heat pump for 3 years. I love it. One thing that surprised me is how AMAZING the AC is.
I'm so excited to see how your setup ends up feeling when you live in it. I don't know one RUclipsr that's doing anything like this. BRAVO - and can't wait to see your "living in a net zero home..." videos!
My cousin finished his net 0 home last here in northern Italy. He has a 15kW solar panel system, solar heating for the water, and geothermal.
He went radiant heating for geothermal and the cooling in summer is mind blowing, he has 18 °C water going through the floor loops and it cools the house to a steady 23 °C all summer. To give you an idea, we regularly reach 42 °C in summer these last few years.
As another examples, solar heating gives him 72 °C hot water in February with an average outside temperature of 0-8°C.
Pretty cool stuff over all.
Net zero? Was the shipping and manufacturing pollution added to that "net zero"?
@@johnlocke_1 net 0 is that other than those costs, it will be 0 pollution every year AFTER finished. his home is net zero, its why activists are also pushing for green electric shipping, and carbon neutral production/manufacturing. unless you want to be a hunter gatherer cave man, every single item in your life that youve purchased, unless it's some real handmade thing or like bying a plant, has contributed to pollution. "her der net zero? trees were cut down for that house? what about the heat used to make the windows? er im sorry mr you just exhaled co2, pls care about environment more." guess ill just die.
@Bannanasammich quite my point. Net zero is not a zero-sum game. There is no such thing as "green" electric shipping and never will be nor is there carbon neutral production/manufacturing. Activists enforcing 1st world nations to pivot their economy whilst 3rd world nations continue to pollute with impunity will destroy 1st world nations.
The balance of your statement is filled with obvious notions, strawman arguments, and reduction fallacy. Activists are not scientists. Activists are borderline terrorists.
I would personally love to see a video about everything! I am a big house guy, really into energy efficient buildings, how to make them, they different products that go into them, etc. So I would love to see you go over all the main components, your choice of sheathing material, insulation, roofing, air sealing, doors, windows, and all the smart home stuff as well. Love the series, hope the house turns out amazing!
All of this is super interesting - whatever specifics you wanna cover, I wanna see. That’s kinda why I’m here, after all - your take on this stuff!
It is very awesome that you use the stuff you talk about yourself.
I'll mention the same warning I did last time on geothermal heat pump systems with vertical wells like yours and mine. The drillers usually have no way of knowing how far it is down to bedrock, and that portion of the well above bedrock (or ledge) needs casement (the big steel pipe). Because of this the estimate will be a hopeful guess and the actual cost can go much higher. In my case they guestimated 20 feet to ledge ( a reasonable guess in NH) but it ended up being 100 feet, which added $8600.00 on top of the estimated cost for the (in my case) two wells. I'll add that my system came online in early February, just before the double digit negative Fahrenheit cold snap and it performed very well. Looking forward to not dealing with window AC units this summer.
That is a huge price for casing. Here in my part of Canada the depth to bedrock is literally measured in inches so it isn't a concern.
@@markbernier8434 with new air to water cold climate heat pumps , ground source heat pumps do not make any economical sense, yes they are more efficient but with saved money I would prefer to install solar panels to get higher return on investment
@@markbernier8434 That's why I mention the depth to ledge being a hopeful guess. Its commonly not that far to ledge around here either. I just got unlucky.
I had a similar experience with casing cost.
@@andreycham4797 I somewhat agree with you. For me the calculations went beyond up front and running cost to dependability and maintenance. One nice thing about geothermal is that none of the system components are outside exposed to the elements. Maintenance amounts to periodic filter change and condensate pump line cleaning. No worries about external condenser freezing up. Also it looks like even the cold climate air source heat pumps are still only good to -5F. I'm sure they'll get better but that's where it is now. Here in the northeast, that's a concern.
We've been in our own new house for about 8 months now, with 3 vertical 500 foot wells serving as the ground loop for our "geothermal" system. I absolutely love it. It is silent, ridiculously efficient, and should outlive me. No regrets! (Yesterday, I heard a bizarre noise coming from outside, only to eventually realize it was the compressor on our neighbor's air conditioner. Weird!)
Really cool! Well done Matt
canadian here. Went with a geothermal system 15+ years ago. very happy with it. The heating does struggle on the coldest days -35C, or if you try too raise the temp quick. A auxillary heater comes on at that point. The cooling is very impressive (believe it or not it does get hot here too- +31C tomorrow.
We tracked our Total energy costs for a number of years and figure we save about 1/3. We also just live more comfortably. System has already paid itself off
Excited for your new home
Matt, it's not too late to add in a hydronic underfloor radiant heating system! 😁 It would work beautifully with your geothermal I think. As a fellow allergy sufferer I find ducted air cooling to be a blessing in summer, but ducted air heating in winter an uncomfortable curse. Having lived with heating from wall mounted radiators, wood burning stoves, ducted air and underfloor radiant, I would choose the latter way ahead of the rest every time. I love the wonderful gentle warming from your feet up compared to that stuffy air around the head feeling from air heating.
Great to see your build progressing and providing us all with lots of ideas & inspiration & good luck!
I'm thinking of the heating for my future home and I like the cooling possibility that ducted air gives, but I've never experienced it, I don't think. I really really dislike the windy feel window A/C type units give - and the constant background noise too. (Air-based systems are still rather uncommon here. They haven't been cheap or efficient enough for long enough - local temperatures are roughly the same as Matt described in the video.) While I absolutely love wood-burning systems, the kind I'd go with need a person and a bunch of yearly work (as in, I couldn't leave home for a week in the middle of winter without problems and can't come to a warm home after a long day of work in winter).
I'd like your random opinion, kind stranger :D
These systems tend to start breaking down at the water manifolds after 10 years.
"stuffy air around the head feeling" Thermal stack is real. With a radiant wall heater in my kitchen I have to use the ceiling fan to mix the layers.
@@michaelsearnest I haven't experienced this, but with an easily accessible manifold with compression and/or push fit connections, a replacement could be fitted in minutes.
@@mirjam3553 I've had ducted air cooling and wall mounted A/C, and the ducted air has always given a more gentle delivery, especially if combined with ceiling fans. Noise can be an issue, but can be reduced by careful placement of the cooling unit and the use of baffles.
I use home assistant in my apartment for some basic IoT/Smart Home automation and I love it. Really excited to see you unlock the full potential of it with a home built around it from the ground up.
We bought out house in 2021 and the first upgrade we did was install a Geothermal Water to Air heat pump. We also had a Water Furnace Series 7 installed, although we had enough space to do a horizontal loop field. It works very good in central New York. Being able to monitor your heating and cooling system remotely is nice also. Solar is something we are looking at in the next few years.
Extremely interesting. Very very good work. Well done, Matt.
Hey Matt, thanks for the update! I just built an off grid house in Canada and I am kicking myself for not installing geothermal lines under my drains and beside my footings. Even around my septic tank. I wish I had run the tubing while I had the holes dug anyways. Geothermal is a really really good solution for both heating and cooling but I don't think it needs to cost as much as your hole, just more planning and pipes need to go into every hole that gets dug anyways. I went with wood heated infloor heating from a wood cookstove.
Yeah your window shades are overkill, I don't like all that extra wiring. Otherwise I am with you with metal roof, infloor heating, solar panels (on my woodshed). Did you go with passive solar windows (big southern ones with curtains)?I did, they were old sliding glass doors. I also went with geothermal cooling in my cellar from not insulating the floor there and passive ventilation through an open concept design and windows that open on the east and west to allow for natural air flow.
I cut the wood off of my land here and all windows and doors were used/free. For insulation I got a deal on a tractor trailer load of 3" below grade foam insulation from a flat roofing company that removed it from a re roofing job in Ottawa and sold it to me for a good price. We just moved in and I owe nothing to a bank for our home. Its 1500' square.
When it comes to insulation, thickness has a value all it's own. I do like the idea of running the lines with other holes, but it does risk confusion VS doing separate things.
I do wonder about a radiator at the bottom of a water well though. Have it dug an extra 20ft deep, and a bit wider, then just use one hole for everything.
He probably went with European 3 pane glass windows. They usually are tilt and turn windows. Sliding windows aren't easy to make airtight.
no... 11:30 i honestly think you havent gone far enough yet, there's still just general testist & tuning/ optimisation of everything working together once that's done I'm really curious how the "charging during peak hours" thing you were talking about when it comes to the excess solar
im guessing if the cars not there that's when most that energy will go to the bateries
I'm interested in the Home Automation you have setup that you mention near the end of the video, would be a fun watch. Love how well you explain things, I always come away feeling like I learned something from all your videos
I was fascinated by the complexity you've built in to your system. I've just completed a rebuild of my house in ireland and went with an exhaust air heat pump system. One unit the size of a domestic American size fridge gives me all of my heating, ventilation, heat recovery and hot water storage. It supplies water to my underfloor systemand can link into PV and geothermal systems if I want. It's has an ethernet connection so I can put it into my smart home system. I have a years data collected now and am very happy with the performance.
Adding geothermal to a new build makes complete sense. However, it would be very interesting to get your take on converting an existing fossil fuel consuming home to geothermal. I have watched several videos on this subject because I am considering it for my New England home.
I did. What would stop you?
Just burn wood that's what I do. Not that hard.
*This new home is a wonderful insanity ! 👍😃Matt is an alternative energy mental case 😲 ! 😉! I think it's time to finally see more projects like this which demonstrate how alternative energy can be sustainable, and even practical. What isn't practical is the insane cost for this green technology. I am truly amazed and impressed with Matt's "all in" approach to the new home build. What I would like to really know is how much Matt thinks the total build price will be by the time the new home is ready to move into ?*
Fascinating and impressive! Thanks for the great information.
Coming along nicely 👍👍
Damn, I didn't realise they could/would drill so deep for heat pumps!
So if the ground temperature is a steady 50f, does that mean you could cool the house to 50f too, if you wanted to? If not, what's the minimum temperature?
You can cool as low as you want. The in ground loops work like an outside AC unit. Still uses Freon and a normal refrigeration cycle but the loop temps stay more consistent than outside air does.
Actually, you can cool it much much lower if the thermostat allows it. Think how a freezer freezes, it takes the heat out of the freezer and plumets the temp down to freezing. The reality is that the unit wouldn't need to work hard as it is pumping it into a cooler environment than our homes are. The restriction will likely be the thermostat not allowing it.
Thanks you two - as soon as I read your replies I realised it was obvious, I'd just never used an AC which went below 16c
@@Aliessil They even make units to cool huge freezer warehouses using the same style system. It pays for itself very quickly in a poorly insulated commercial environment.
This ones long but hang in there! I know on my geo is closed loop. That allows it to heat until you go to the flow freeze point "Geo Lock" of the refrigerant (-40F/-40 most will safety stop at - 30F/34.5C). That means the more mass your in contact with achieved by loop length determines how long compessor can run before you hit this and electric backup kicks in to supplement untill ground temp can recover. This is called "Geo lock", i used to hit this untill my rebuild. Now with cooling it gets more interesting, since heat is the byproduct. You can heat your water more efficiently to 120F/49C and combined with electric just-in-time Hot H2O unit you can get higher domestic water temps. With the ground loop temp you will have ability to cool untill the loop hits temp hits "Hot Loop" status. This varies per units efficiency rating but is effectively 120F/49C max. There are practical building science related things when it comes to how much of a inside/outside temperature deferential one can achieve before issues may arise with condensation at different layers of the building envelope.
Great project report and your excitment is catching. It will be interesting to see how your sub, and primary systems work together compaired with theory. This will be a learning experiance for all of us.
Excellent content and appears not biased, good job.
Amazing 👏, the big question is ... how much does it cost you ?
Yep ... that part is coming in a future video.
This is so cool! I’ve watched a lot of RUclipsrs do “smart” or “efficient” houses but this is on a whole other level. I would love to see a colab with you and Linus or Snazzylabs to talk about y’all’s house builds!
I'd like to see the home performance channel check out the HVAC design
This is great, keep it up, can't wait to see your home in operation. I do energy ratings on homes here in Wisconsin and have worked on a few that have GSHP systems. They are great as long as they are properly designed and installed - main problems are with insufficient contact between piping and the ground. It looks like yours is a very nice install. Love that your predicted load is so low you can't get a system that small. Also, good call not installing radiant heat. I've been to several homes where they get easily get overheated, usually due to solar gain (auto-shades would be great for this) and then have to open windows to dump excess heat. Electric heating under those "bare feet" areas in bathrooms seem like a good compromise.
It's awesome what you are doing with your new house
This video was a trip to the past for me.
I bought a 7,000 sq.ft. house in Connecticut back in 2011. In 2013, I installed a geothermal system. It provided heating and cooling. On especially cold days, there was a supplementary propane burner to assist the system.
I had three wells going down to 400 ft. and three massive air handlers, coupled with huge HEPA filters.
It cost me $197,000. I got back around $30,000 in tax rebates. I ended up saving around $12,000 per annum on heating and cooling costs.
However, when I had to sell the house in 2019, the fact that I had geothermal did not assist me in the least bit. And the buyers felt that there should be no premium for such a system…
Sad end. But, I’d probably still do it on my next home.
I can imagine getting a premium if there were a price spike in energy right when you were going to sell. Sad you didn't get that money back.
I am also debating between Heat Pumps and Geothermal systems for my new house. Thx. for the video - very informative to get your feed back on this.
PS: i thought it would be nice if you could bunch all these videos together as a series so that anyone who wants to refer a particular system can do it. Just my thoughts. :)
Yes, properly ordered playlists are much appreciated. Makes that backlog easier for new and repeat engagement.
I like and want to see all the things you are doing to the new house, keep ‘em coming.
I'm super happy you are using Home Assistant and no cloud tied hogwash, since you want this to be your forever home, it's very good choice!
Shades inside the house does not prevent the amount of heat coming into the house. Physics....
Seems poorly insulated, but then again, I come from a northern climate.
Awesome video, thank you for sharing!
I'm an Insulation company owner, he is building to zone 8 standards and exceeding alot. Net Zero is important here :)
Yep. For the zone I live in this is well above standard. Normally it might be something like R-20.
@@UndecidedMF depending on your township BOCA version, it's r21 or r25.
We'll definitely check out that ATMO device. My wife is plagued with sensitivities to VOC's and other pollutants. I'm glad to hear about that and maybe it will help us deal with some of the issues from all the toxic things people use.
Great video. Thanks Matt