I started using those "dirt pots" too. The smaller sizes have loop handles and stoe easy when not in use. I bet the homemade truck works great on hard surfaces. Someone could also buy industrial 55 gallon barrel trucks to do the same thing if they are not inclined to make their own..

Just curious...Where in the country are you? My old friend/neighbor in Michigan built a new home with Geo (incredibly impressive feat of engineering). I'm now in San Diego and researching PV solar to replace the the existing thermal solar for the pool, home built in 2000, not certain when the thermal solar was added (not done in the best way) so we're repairing the roof. One solar co said the solar is on it's last legs. Started some research & found it should last about 30yrs, but normally warrantied for 10yrs. Need to continue research & find truly reputable company that would give me an honest answer. Hope everything is going well with your build & decision.

Your geo is so cheap that it is probably worth it even at your crazy cheap electric rates. I don't really know the climate in OK but in central NC, at your rates, you are looking at $500 a year for conventional ASHP and $350 a year for geothermal, so your payback is close to 30 years. That is assuming you use enough electricity from other things to get to the lower rates for most of your heat. And it is assuming that the house is built fairly tight. Your insulation levels make me think OK has a fairly mild winter. Geo makes more sense as your winter temps decrease and then it also tends to last a lot longer so your payback becomes the lifespan on a heat pump. And since you were quoted Goodman, that might be less than 10 years. Geo will also make more sense as your electric costs rise to more normal levels. At some point, electricity won't be 5 cents a KWH. Your math changes dramatically when it is 10 cents. Given the inability to get any money safely on investments and the low borrowing costs, it make financial sense to prepare long term for inflation. So even a 30 year payback makes a lot of sense since that doesn't factor inflation -- if this is your home you plan on living in for a long time. Heck - I plan on getting PV - it is basically a 5% ROI but that is great right now and it is a hedge against inflation

Mike, we paid about $3000.00 last year for propane, and that was to heat half of our home. We could close off half of it, and that's what we did. Propane cost varies widely, from almost two dollars a gallon to almost three dollars a gallon. electricity is about 9.2 cents a kwh. We have only had the bedroom and one other room cooled with a window air conditioner. We only had one real cooling month after the system was installed, and it cost $5.00 more than the month before when we were running the window a/c 24/7. Yes, we were on the downhill side of the cooling season, but we were also cooling the entire house. I really can't give you an accurate estimate of what the cooling costs will be. Our first heating month, we used about $52.00 additional electricity, and during the second month it was about $240.00 additional. I just went out and read the meter, and with 6 or 7 days until our next reading, we're on track to be the same or less than last month, so another $240.00 - $250.00 for the third heating month. We have our two coldest months ahead of us, but if I figure $350.00 each for them, then $250.00 for March, and even $250.00 for April, I'm at $1750.00 additional for electricity,(and I think that's overestimated) against $3000.00 for propane last year. And, keep in mind, that's heating the entire 3900 sq feet to a comfortable 70 degrees rather than about 2000 sq feet of it to a chilly 67-68 degrees. Well, I should clarify that it isn't all heated to 70 all the time, due to the zoning. We keep what used to be the cold half at 66 now unless we're using it, then we can quickly raise it to 70 as well. Anyway, based on my preliminary calculations, we will reduce our heating costs 40-50% keep our cooling costs about the same, and raise our comfort and enjoyment levels tenfold. Will the savings pay for the installation costs over and above a standard heat pump system? Probably, but it'll take a while. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't change a thing. Hopefully I can still say that a few years down the road.