Chicago Geothermal Heating Installation

This was the first time I used them and they know what they are doing. They are committed to the technology and are very responsive but they are in Indiana so it can be difficult for them to get up here if something goes wrong.

I hired them as a subcontractor for a geothermal install in Wheaton and his drilling rig was not able to get the pipe more than 30’ deep. When he was done with the job the loop temperatures were immediately to cold for the system to operate. They came out to dig up the field and try to fix it but were unable to do so. We had to hire another driller to come out to do the work properly and they will not refund the money.

They are very knowledgeable and responsive to my needs. They can also do same day appointments. I like all of the technicians, but Scott Mcpherrin is my favorite.

Most workmanship was OK, scheduling was difficult. Turned out they low-balled the electrical bid by leaving lots of stuff out (that was clearly indicated on the plans). They tried to add costs to the fixed bid, largely by manipulating the paperwork and holding my project hostage until I agreed, which I did not, progress was delay by over 6 months. Having been a general contractor for over 20 years I saw through their thinly veiled ploy, I think the office staff is fairly young and inexperienced. The owner (John Schmidt) has almost no regular oversight as he is also a land developer and doesn't do much with his electrical and HVAC businesses anymore. When I provided proof that they were trying to screw me over, they filed a lien on my house and tried to sue me. Needless to say I fired them, but it cost me so much money in lawyer fees to fight them I ended up basically giving in and paying their full bid even though they did less than half the work. In short, never in my entire 20+ year career in the building trades have I seen such rampant lack of ethics, professionalism, or honesty. I ended up finishing the wiring by myself, and hired Colony Heating to finish the Geothermal HVAC. Colony Heating (Cedar Rapids) was wonderful, it's difficult to step into a situation like that and finish someone else's questionable work, but they were great! Run away from E&J Geothermal and E&J Electrical, hire Colony Heating. John Schmidt and his "lead electrical estimator" Cat Dolphin (who can't read blueprints) are cheating liars who will sue you if you catch them red handed.

Rick and his crew did a great job. Our job involved removing an old boiler heating system and the pipe that went with it in our 2 flat building. They dug up our backyard to dig 5 holes for geothermal pipes as well as install duct work for the new system all over our home. We were picky about where the duct work was going to go, and they were very helpful. I also asked them to install a laundry chute, and they did that for me- I think they might have even thrown it in to the original price. The system works beautifully. We had one hiccup where it did not work and it was fixed right away. (This was after we had paid our bill in full, which I find impressive!) Our AC bill is now $6.00 per month, and we run it all the time in the day at 72, and at night 69. Our house is 4200 square feet. I was amazed! I'm excited for winter to see how low my heat bill will be, I have heard it will be 30% of our old cost and I believe it! Since then we have been doing a lot of cosmetic remodeling and every contractor that comes into our home sees the system and wants the name and number of Hollaway-Meyers because they are so impressed by the work. All of their employees are professional and smart. I was actually sad to see them done with the job because I enjoyed having them around so much. If you are considering geothermal- go with Rick. If you are on the fence about geothermal, remember the cost savings on energy bills, as well as the tax rebate the government gives you. When you factor those 2 things, geothermal is not more expensive than a furnace and AC system. It is also quiet- no loud AC machine running in the backyard. After you can re-cooped your investment, you will be saving a lot of money, and will avoid inflation on energy costs in the future. And, if you want to be selfless about it- it's good for the environment.

They were very competent and on time. They did good with the estimate, we thought it was kind of high and he seemed a little indignant that we did not go with him. They were very nice and professional.

They denied the claim indicating the gas valve of a gas furnace is excluded. As a justification, they mentioned a vague clause in the agreement that was more focused on GeoThermal systems. I have 10 months left, requested a refund for the remaining policy and they said my refund will be around 2 dollars. Not fair and clear business practices. Absolutely not worthy, a gas valve is a critical part of a gas furnace, it's not understandable that gas valves will be excluded.

Scott came to our home and evaluted our space to determine what ton system to use in our home. It was decided a 3-ton system would work best for our home based on age of house, number of windows, doors, insulation, etc. He determined where the best place to drill the wells would be based on the current placement of the furnace. The wells were dug in the front of our house between the entry walkway and driveway. What should have been a 3-4 week job turned into approx. 8 weeks due to weather, holidays, vacation, etc.

The rep spent a good amount of time taking picures of the house and taking overall measurements to help him size the units properly. He examined the existing equipment and ductwork and took the time to answer all of our questions. The rep told us he had only been working for the company a few months and was honest when he could not answer a question. He did answer most of our questions, though. He offered a couple of configurations. In the end, the price was reasonable. He admitted to not having the equipment brochures. It would have been nice to have them. I cannot say whether or not we would have hired Wuich for the job. During our research process, geothermal systems came up more that a couple times, and we decided to pursue that avenue instead.

This was a big project. It involved them ripping up my backyard and installing pipes below ground around my property. I believe some of the pipes went down over 100 feet. There were a few problems, but when they did crop up, they came out and made adjusments immediately. They were cordial, professional and very good. Rick Holloway said he would come back in spring and put my yard back together, and he did. The project did require me to get some additional landscaping work done, but that was explained up front and not a surprise. They installed the geothermal system at the end of December in frigid below zero temperatures so I could get my tax credit for 2010. In doing so, the weather cause a few issues, but once we realized it, they were rectified immediately with one phone call. Rick Holloway is everything you want in a vendor, his name is on the business and he comes out and estimates and does some of the work with a lot of pride. Definitely a job well done.