Why aren't geothermal energy sources more prominent?

Question

I am doing a presentation on geothermal energy, and all the information that I am finding on them is extremely posetive. They seem to be very eco-friendly, very energy efficient, and long-lasting.

Why then are they used so infrequently?

Answer 1

Hi, They can be very costly to put in. They are coming down in price. We just put a geothermal heating and cooling system into our house that we just finished building. The bill for heating the house last winter for the building crew was just 75 dollar for the hole winter.

Answer 2

they are very hard to retro fit, (put in after the build) as they have to be piled into the ground (obv) but also new builds are keeping prices down so unless you are designing the project yourself there is often lil chance of being offered the geo option.

Answer 3

People want to use Oil and not Geothermal, also landfills stop geothermal energy producng

Answer 4

I would think primarily  the initial cost to install. People  base much on what they buy and use on how much they can afford. Just because something is avialable and efficient and long lasting , that does not pay for it.

I am actually getting rid of my oil furnance and having a Geothermal system installed and I'm excited about not buying oil this coming winter. But it is costing me almost $20,000. And I already have ductwork in my house. I am getting the best equipment and having the upstairs on its on seperate zone with its own thermostat. I feel fortunate that I can afford to do this.

Geothermal units can be retrofited very easily for any existing home that uses hot air heating. Like oil hot air furnace. The existing duct work can be used.

Many times at least in the past prior to $3 a gallon oil people built the biggest house they could afford and left out any kind of heating system other then electric baseboard heat which is cheapest to install and most expensive to operate.

So if a person could afford a $100,000 mortgage when planning to build ,any cost for a heating system would possilbly reduce the size house they could build. Say just for example it cost $50 a square foot to build a house and you had $100,000 budget you could build a 2,000 square foot house. ($100,000 divided by 50) Now take the same $100,000 and subtract $20,000 for a geothermal system. Now you have $80,000 to build your house. $80,000 divided by $50 a square foot allows you to build a 1600 square foot home. These are important considerations people face when it comes time to plan a new build. I think it would be wiser in the long run to build a smaller house and spend the money on a good heating system but many times people do not think long term. They just want the biggest they can get.

Geothermal systems do NOT have to take up a lot of land as one person implied. A vertical (which requires drilling into the ground much like drilling a well) closed looped system can be installed inside a 10 foot by 10 foot space on your property.

A horozontal closed loop system will need a good amount of land though. Since trenches several hundred feet long need to be dug.

Good luck with your presentation!!!

Answer 5

some places dont have as much geothermal energy. norway and denmark and northern countries use geothermal energy often

Answer 6

We just had a presentation on Geothermal at our Company last week ( We are a Custom Homebuilder )....they are very hard to fit in the ground, and there are different ways of doing it...need plenty of space.....also very expensive upfront but in the long run it is well worth it.  Good Luck to you!