Much of the presentation covered stuff that I already knew from what I had read on the Zerofootprint and CMHC websites. I noted a few nuggets.

- 46% of the solar energy reaching the earth is absorbed by the ground, which makes a case for using ground energy.
- A horizontal geothermal loop is usually less expensive to install, but not feasible within the city.
- Vertical systems go 100 to 200 feet down.
- A typical home would need 3 loops.
- Cost varies depending on the digging and installation challenges. Drilling costs about $15/foot.
- A geothermal system has a 25-year lifespan, although the ground piping will last much longer.
- The Manitoba government is paying homeowners to install geothermal.
- The feds are providing $3500 rebate, while Ontario is providing a tax rebate of about $500. The total of $4,000 is about 15% of the system cost.
- The cost of installing geothermal starts around $20,000.

- The future for power generation lies in a distributed generation system.
- Homeowners should stay on the grid and feed into it, e.g. through solar photovoltaic or wind energy.

Great post, very informative, thank you for sharing!
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