We have a large hard-to-heat historic house with 2 floors and a basement which was previously heated and cooled by 2 gas furnaces, both older than 20 years, and cooled by 2 AC units that were also nearing the end of their life expectancy, one of which was on the roof. We knew we needed to replace our old units which could fail at any time, and we wanted to reduce our energy consumption. After over a year of research into geothermal and 4 different estimates from local, well known heating and air companies, we had given up on the idea. Estimates averaged $65-$80k, and without a good solution for separate temperature control for our basement, which was currently being insufficiently heated by the main floor system through tacked on ductwork added by the previous owner when he finished the space. Then we had the good fortune to hear about Pilot Air through a general contractor who mentioned he always uses them for geothermal work. Gordon came by and it was a breath of fresh air. He listened to our concerns, was open and honest, and worked with us to find solutions to our home's unique problems. He was infinitely patient as we moved through our long and drawn-out decision making process, and never pushy. Also very knowledgeable and just generally so wonderful to work with. We really can't say enough nice things about him. And best of all, Pilot Air put our project in reach for us, quoting us a price $10-$20k less than the prior estimates we'd received, while also providing a workable and affordable solution to our need for separate temperature control in the basement. They didn't cut corners to do it, either, giving us top of the line Climate Master heat pumps with higher efficiency than some of the quotes we received. They even threw in some high tech programmable thermostats that we can control from mobile devices. And after the estimate was drawn up, Gordon stuck to it, promising us that it would not change, even in the event of unexpected difficulties in installation. In addition, they provided us with an included 10 year labor warranty, which really boosted our confidence in the company and made us feel that if we run into any problems in the future that Pilot Air will stand 100% behind their work. The service has been great so far and we're really pleased with our new systems. Choosing a geothermal contractor is tough. Your options for contractors are much more limited than for conventional heat pumps, furnaces and ACs. And the investment is much more than a standard gas furnace, or even a top of the line heat pump. But we expect it to pay off in the long run. After we ran the numbers, and after government rebates, the systems should cost about $5-$8k more than if we had replaced with 2 new ACs and 2 new furnaces. But we hope to see a significant drop in our heating and cooling bills which should make the systems pay for themselves in 5-10 years. Having not had the systems long enough we can't report at present on our energy savings, but geothermal is generally projected to save customers 30-50% on energy consumption). We hope as well that we've increased our home's value by increasing its energy efficiency, which is another thing to consider when doing cost calculation. If you're thinking about geothermal, consider Pilot Air, when getting estimates. And remember that as of now, the $35% state tax credit expires 2015, and the 30% federal tax credits expire 2016. Also, there are rebates through Duke Energy which we hope to qualify for. As of now we're very pleased with our system and our experience with Pilot Air. We've only had it a short while, and will update on our experience with geothermal, performance and rebates at a later date
michael l.
