Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
snagd_gw

Does Geo Thermal really use this much electricity??

snagd
18 years ago

We just completely renovated an older farmhouse. It has all new insulation,doors,windows,etc. Well I just recieved my new bill and I can't believe how much higher it is. I have already used 980kw in 6 days. My highest kw usage in the summer with window air units was 1200. I was under the assumption that it only drew alittle when the unit started up. Well it does seem to run frequently. I also notice that the lights flicker when it starts to run. Could there be an installation error? Its very frustrating since it cost so much to buy in the beginning.Advice?Thanks!

Comments (15)

  • ericwi
    18 years ago

    Are you using a heat pump? Do you have plastic piping buried in your yard? Some heat pumps have electric resistance heating elements used to warm the air in the winter. Does your system have this feature?

  • bus_driver
    18 years ago

    Check the thermostat to see if it is set on "Emergency", "EM" or some such marking.

  • snagd
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    We do have the loop system. I have only noticed it on EM twice, when the temps hit 0. I am in central Illinois.

  • catherinet
    18 years ago

    Hi Snag,
    I' not really smart about these things, but we do have a closed-loop geothermal, and I will tell you our experience.
    We were lucky to have one of the leading guys in geothermal around here, and he put ours in. He is a believer in putting in smaller units, so that it's sure to run long enough in the summers to keep the humidity down. I'm not sure what the symptoms might be in winter, if your unit is too large. How large is your house, and how many ton geo unit did you get?

    We changed over all ceiling-cable heat (very expensive) to geo, plus we added on close to 1,000 sq ft in a new addition. Our electric bill went down, even with the new addition!
    Do you have the type of furnace that goes from a slower fan to start, and increases? This seems to help with any dimming of lights. But yes, we do have some dimming when it starts up.
    Check on your thermostat and see if your back-up heat is coming on alot. That tends to be pretty expensive. Have you been through a real cold spell?
    Our back-up heat tends to come on if we're using the dryer, so sometimes I just open a door a crack near there, and that seems to help.
    Maybe your electric bill includes some work they did, or starting a new account or something? Something isn't right, but you might have to do some troubleshooting to figure it out. Geo tends to be less expensive than other systems.....so I would check this out.
    Also......we have a service contract, and they come out twice a year for maintenance, which I think is a good thing. Perhaps since your unit is so new, it might need tweaked a little. I'd give it another month, and if your bill is still up, then I'd have them come check it out.
    Have you added anything else new, that might be driving your bill up?

  • joed
    18 years ago

    They could have also misread the meter. If that is the case your next bill will be very low or even negative.

  • catherinet
    18 years ago

    P.S. Are you comfortable, and what is your thermostat set for?

  • snagd
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Unfortunatly the meter reading is accurate. We have a 2200 square foot house, some ceilings are tall and some are shorter. Our unit is 5 ton. We had a few cold days. we had it set at 70, but that is in the main room. Rooms farther away are more like 67.

  • bus_driver
    18 years ago

    Apparently CatherineT dealt with a really good contractor. Given the operating expenses you probably will have over the next few years, you might consider having that contractor (Catherine's) catch the next plane to your area and look over your system. He may not be licensed in your State, but could advise a local contractor. This is a serious suggestion. Or contact the manufacturer's rep for the brand of equipment you have. The rep will not help you directly but will provide technical assistance to the installer.

  • catherinet
    18 years ago

    snagd,
    I looked up info on our unit, and it's a 3.5 ton (Water furnace), and our house is about 2800 sq ft. I'm thinking your's is too large......but I don't know what that means, in terms of how it's working for you in the winter. But you might definitely not get dehumidified in the summers. When the unit is over-sized, it doesn't run long enough in the summer to dehumidify.......so you have cold, wet air inside.
    I've heard from my geo guy, that alot of people who aren't more familiar with the system, put them in too large.
    First though, I think you should make sure there wasn't something wrong with your statement, or maybe you have another electrical problem besides your furnace. Then I would have the geo man come out and check the pressures and the system. I'd be glad to give you the name of my guy, and you could even just call and talk with him.

  • snagd
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thanks so much for the info. My installer is coming out tomorrow to check it out. We will see what he says and go from there. Thanks again!

  • catherinet
    18 years ago

    Keep us posted on this snagd. I'd like to know how it goes.

  • snagd
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Well we are still using an awful lot of kw on our geo. Over the past year we have averaged about 2100kw per month. Last month with very little air/heat usage my kw were 1100. My lights are still flickering even though they came and gave me a larger transformer. I just have a hard time with the fact that no one disclosed the electricity usage before we went with geo thermal. Electricity is expensive in the country because we have a small coop. I like it for the air, but the heat doesnt seem to be as efficient.

  • formula1
    16 years ago

    Are a lot of your supply/return ducts in the crawlspace or attic? You could be experiencing a lot of heat gain/loss in these areas. Crawlspaces are a bad idea - see www.buildingscience.com for more info. How much attention was paid to making the house structure and ductwork airtight during the remodeling? Insulation is one requirement in an efficient house, but airtightness is another BIG contributor to low energy costs. Unless you had an exceptional HVAC contractor, most duct installations leak way too much. We're running geo in a new home and the costs are very reasonable.

  • brickeyee
    16 years ago

    980 kW-h over 6 days work out to ~139 kBTU/h for the entire period.
    Cal the POCO and have the meter reading checked, but it almost sounds like the emergency heat was on the entire time.

    "I was under the assumption that it only drew alittle when the unit started up."

    The unit draws a pretty decent amount whenever it runs.
    Go down and look at the breakers that feed it.
    The outside unit will have a running current on the nameplate also.
    While this is not the actual power used, it is not typically a small number.

  • andrelaplume2
    16 years ago

    whatever happened???????????