1. Country Victoria 2. Yes , Geo Hvac uses a heat pump as does a...

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    1. Country Victoria
    2. Yes , Geo Hvac uses a heat pump as does a rc air con . The main difference being the constant temperature of the ground loop ( around 14 - 16 deg ) . Hence you only have to electrically add or subtract a smaller amount of heat to maintain a comfortable temp . As opposed to winter where you might have to add 10 or 15 degrees to the outside temp .
    3 . Not much point having a heating system ( or cooling ) if there are times in the year when it simply doesn't work . Yes , I know it won't be that cold often but I don't want to have to have an alternative heat source .
    4. I want to heat and cool more than one area . Splitties are great but I'd rather have a hidden ducted unit if I can . Yes , that's more expensive but I'm prepared to pay for a bit of luxury provided it does the job properly .
    4. A rough price for Geothermal for my place is 28k . Expensive , you bet . However , when you compare it to a decent ducted rv air con and a solar boosted hot water system , the gap starts to close . That's where the running costs become important . Particularly in an off grid situation . As my house is going to be at least 8 star , it might be too efficient for a big hvac system . This is one of the things I've yet to work out .
    5. No rock around my place . I had a dam dug several years ago on that site . Nuthin but clay .
    6. Town gas is nearish although I would have to pay for a spur line and it would cost 30k plus . Also , Australian gas prices are expected to double in the next 18 months thanks to exporting lng out of Gladstone . Ultimately , I want to be all electric as I expect solar with battery back up to be norm in 10 years .
    7. The goal is to build a very comfortable , cheap to run house that is a convenient to use as a new house in town now . That means cool in summer , warm in winter with very small energy inputs . At the same time , I don't want to be cutting firewood ( done that ) , running out of gas at the wrong time or finding out that it's just too expensive . ( Ask the people that were running ducted heating off bottle gas a few years ago ) . I also would rather not have a backup generator . All these things are ok and I have plenty of experience with compromise after growing up on a farm and working in remote areas . I just don't want to have to do it at this point and I'm fortunate enough to not have to . Also , from a technical side , it interests me so I guess it's a bit of a hobby/project in a way .

    I really appreciate the input however . Practical examples are where you find out the true facts as opposed to the sales pitch that I have getting from some places
 
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