Today on Volts: ground-source heat pumps! They're the most efficient way to heat & cool your home, but they're expensive up front. Dandelion is working to bring the costs down, with custom-designed equipment, digital tools, & a big new partnership with a home developer. I talk with CEO Kathy Hannun. - ThreadSky

volts.wtf • 26 days ago

Today on Volts: ground-source heat pumps! They're the most efficient way to heat & cool your home, but they're expensive up front. Dandelion is working to bring the costs down, with custom-designed equipment, digital tools, & a big new partnership with a home developer. I talk with CEO Kathy Hannun.

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nateheard.bsky.social•25 days ago

Here's a pic of Dandelion Energy's cool drill rig, described in the pod, as they unloaded it at our house. Although the trenching that links the wells to the house tore up the yard a bit, the drill rig and well footprint was minimal.

hearadhrob.bsky.social•26 days ago

I'll wait and see. Was quoted £15k to install air source. Have no idea how much more ground source would cost. I doubt, even if cheaper than now, it'll be actually affordable.

lylescout.bsky.social•26 days ago

📌

shepherdone.bsky.social•26 days ago

They can be expensive down the road too, if they aren't done right and resistance heat has to kick in too often in cold weather. Been there, paid that.

dkmj.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy•25 days ago

@volts.wtf Hi from Scandinavia. Listening in a home that installed vertical geothermal heat pump in 2007, which cut my electricity utility bill to about a third. System paid for itself in <10y and now running almost 20y with no significant service need yet, knock on wood

volts.wtf•24 days ago

Excellent!

dkmj.indieweb.social.ap.brid.gy•24 days ago

@volts.wtf And it’s a retrofit. But radiators are voluminous enough to take water that is max 55C, in the heat pump’s efficiency range.

smithmatthew.bsky.social•26 days ago

Can’t wait to listen! GSHP efficiency can’t be beat, but honestly, hyping them up can set people up for heartbreak.

Here in New England, with our very old & leaky housing stock, you can accomplish a lot with a mini split or two in a well-weatherized & air-sealed home for fraction of the price.

kevinleecaster.bsky.social•26 days ago

Ground source heat pumps are the best choice economically mainly just for McMansion type square feet building sizes.

smithmatthew.bsky.social•26 days ago

I guess you’ll have to show me the project costs and timeline to make that argument.

hallinen.bsky.social•26 days ago

I think, at least in Michigan, all new subdivisions, condos, apartments should use shared wells for ground source. Seems like houses keep blowing up from natural gas.

smithmatthew.bsky.social•26 days ago

New construction? No question! Retrofit, especially for older homes that need costly insulation, air sealing, and other remediation? The costs around GSHP can be significant!

volts.wtf•26 days ago

If you listen to the pod, you'll hear that Dandelion has pivoted to the new-construction market.

smithmatthew.bsky.social•26 days ago

It is in the queue. Looking forward to listening.

hallinen.bsky.social•26 days ago

I'm behind, I just listened to the transit pod today. I was arguing with you when you were discounting electric busses. I would argue that in a lot of places, ridership would go up because they are smoother, quieter, and most importantly, don't smell like exhaust.

asiegel.bsky.social•26 days ago

Fantastic segment. Been an admirer of Dandelion since its inception but hadn’t looked at it for a few years. The Lenar deal is, well, a big deal.

Missing from the conversation: non-energy/(direct) fiscal co-benefits:
- no exterior footprint
- (much) quieter
- lower maintenance
- longer system life

asiegel.bsky.social•26 days ago

Re Dandelion 2017: https://getenergysmartnow.com/2017/09/29/energy-cool-ing-the-dandelion-way/

kimadilla.bsky.social•26 days ago

They are breaking ground on my new geothermal heat pump today! Invested in a 50 gal heat pump h2o heater so they will be capping the gas line FOREVER!

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