We are thinking of installing radiant heat on the main floor, given the condition of the vinyl kitchen floor and the wood floors in the rest of the area. Our first question is whether to heat it using solar or groundsource energy or some combination of these and other sources.
I contacted Michael Dunbar who is the Offsets and Energy Lead at Zerofootprint Energy. That company provides financial solutions to foster the adoption of sustainable energy systems in businesses. Their mission is to make the installation of renewable energy economically viable. So I wanted to know how they could help homeowners who want to retrofit.
I laid out our context and intentions and asked a few questions. Here are some of the answers.
- Would you recommend a combination of geothermal and active solar to meet this goal?
Answer: Yes - Have you installed geothermal in homes similar to the one I described?
Answer: We're working on a pilot project in Little Italy. - Are there zoning issues we need to be aware of with respect to geothermal installations?
Not answered - Are there economies possible if neighbours are interested in adopting geothermal technology?
Answer: Quite likely. - What is the cost range for equipment and installation?
Answer: could range from $30,000 to $50,000 (Wow!) - What are the factors that impact the cost?
To be answered
OK, so geothermal can be pretty pricey upfront, which makes the Zerofootprint Energy financing look pretty inviting. That's if they would offer it to us in the first place, given they usually offer it to builders. I'll have to find out whether they would do it for one house, or if they need a critical mass of home owners.
Michael put me onto Dave Watts from Solera, who is coming over tomorrow to check out the solar capacity of our location. We'll talk about solar photovoltaic to supplement our electricity needs and solar thermal energy to supplement our domestic hot water needs.