A vertical-style geothermal heat pump was installed when the house was built, in 1993. At the time, the cost of the unit was approximately $4000 while the drilling of a second well (called the return well) was an additional $3000. The system served both as a source of heat in the cooler months and acted as air conditioning in the summer.
In 2008, the initial heat pump was replaced by a newer model because it was a challenge for the owners to find skilled technicians who knew how to service the older heat pump. In order to qualify for funding, an energy efficiency test had to be done before and after installation. This test was paid for by the provincial government. The overall cost of the unit and its installation was roughly $7000. After the energy efficiency test and the installation of the geothermal unit, however, the federal government provided $5000 in funding towards the system.
The heat pump itself is approximately 1.2 m (4′) high, 0.9 m (3′) wide, 0.9 m (3′) deep, and weighs around 136 kg (300 lbs.). The house in which it heats and cools is roughly 186 m2 (2000 sq. ft.) and it has a lot of windows, which are not thermally-efficient. With the assistance of an air tight stove, however, the price to heat the home is relatively cheap, even in the colder months. From December to March, it costs roughly $5/day to heat the home and in the months of November, April and May, the cost is significantly lower at only $3/day.
The owners report that they are relatively happy with their geothermal heating system. They report having very few complications with it since its most recent installation, but advise that anyone choosing to heat their home with geothermal should have a secondary source of heat as well, such as a wood-stove.