We installed a geothermal system in our new home in 2015. We live in lower Alabama where temperatures get in the 100s in summer. It did cost a good bit more than a regular heat pump but here are some reasons we think it was worth it. We were able to get a significant federal tax deduction. There is no noisy outdoor heat pump. The AC unit is in the back of a long upstairs closet (12'x4') and a small closet (3'x3') in our guest bathroom. It takes up a 4'x4' space in the upstairs closet. We could have had them install it in the attic but chose to use the end of the closet for easy access and no exposure of equipment to extreme tempertures. The energy savings is adding up. We have another home close by that is about 1/3 the square footage but electric bills are almost the same each month. We have a 15 acre pond so they put the pipe out there instead of in the ground. We haven't had any problems with it so far.

great information!! I appreciate it!!

Ashley -worth it? is not a simple calculation and is different for everyone.

30-40% is an incredible cheap price since the federal tax credit would cover that cost. It is obviously pretty rare for that to be true with apples to apples.

Certainly pipes into a 15 acre pond is also pretty rare and is the ideal case.

So the devil is in the details. As a general rule, solar PV is a more obvious choice unless getting rid of the outdoor unit is a huge priority. In a climate like AZ, it really does make sense to compare to the solar cost.

My last energy report for a 4000 sqft home in NC had a $316 annual savings for geothermal. The increase cost net of tax credit was over $20k.

My latest solar PV estimate is $18k (net of credit and local rebate) for an annual savings of $1500 (big system).

Most green builders are moving away from Geothermal because air source heat pumps continue to improve and the incremental cost of solar has gotten so much more reasonable. But - every decision, climate, lot is unique. Just don't be suckered in by a sales pitch or some knee jerk decision without doing the research.

You're speaking my language David,

So the devil is in the details.

Yeah as it turns out Air Conditioning is quite the racket. Look what I do for a living? Hello? ;-)

If you post the cost to the two systems you are considering, their respective SEER/EER ratings, the size of the house, and the insulation values a rough calculation could be done on the return on investment.