“I’m allergic to conventional air conditioning,” says Silvia Gheju. “With this system I don’t have those problems any more.” She is talking about the geothermal heating and cooling system that she and her husband Peter Gheju installed in their dream home on Washington Road near Plattsville, Ontario, east of Stratford.
“This house is 3500 square feet, plus a fully furnished lower level walkout and garage,” says Peter. “And I like to turn on the geothermal heating in the garage in the winter.”
Some of the floors inside the house are Italian porcelain with radiant tubing underneath. “I’m very happy with the warmth of the floors in the winter,” says Silvia. “The porcelain is easy to clean and healthy. No off-gassing,” says Peter.
When they were planning construction of the new place, a friend in Cambridge said there is no better way to do heating and cooling than geothermal. They decided to do some homework, considering oil, gas, propane, and wood. “I would have liked wood heating, but when we go on vaction there is nobody here to keep the system going. It’s a lot of work, and we don’t have a woodlot,” says Peter. “Propane is a little more than double the cost of geothermal to operate.”
“To heat a house this big without geothermal would have been expensive,” says Silvia. “We don’t have very many trees,” says Peter, “So the house is exposed to the cold and the wind. This investment was the right decision to go with.”
“We’re definitely going to get our return on the money,” says Silvia, an accountant by trade. Peter is a successful automotive specialist with many other talents. He used his own excavator to dig five trenches 300 feet long and six feet deep. Then Bostech Mechanical from Listowel arrived and installed the geothermal field and heat pump system. “It went smoothly and everything works great. John (Bosman) was very informative right from the beginning…He has been helpful and professional.”
The home has seven different heating/cooling zones, each with its own thermostat. In addition to providing space heating and cooling, the geo system heats hot water for the kitchen and bathrooms. The Ghejus have become geothermal promoters, recommending the technology to their friends. “One friend in Kitchener already took our advice and they’re already happy,” says Peter.
“We like living in a house with this system. We did live in a house with a regular heating system so we can see the difference. And the cost,” says Peter, “is better than any other alternatives out there right now.”
“I like the feeling. I like the nice even cooling,” says Silvia. “And I like that I don’t have problems with allergies.”
LINKS
Peter & Silvia on video
Bostech Mechanical
