Most readers who responded to the Bangor Daily News Op Ed letter were extremely supportive and requested more information. This web page is intended as a response to their inquiries. Hopefully it will give them some useful information.

One reader found the approximate cost of $3000 for the system low especially compared to quotes of $20,000 that some people have received for installing a complete geothermal heating system. The heat pump system described here is a hybrid system that I installed myself. It is similar to how a wood stove is used in a house. It provides whatever heat it can and an oil furnace provides any additional heat that may be required. This significantly reduces the cost of the system.

A knowledgeable reader pointed out that a system where oil is burned in an efficient oil furnace in the home uses less oil than a system where oil is used to generate electricity which is transported to a home to power a heat pump. However most power plants do not use oil to generate electricity. Improvements in energy generation where waste heat is captured and utilized make the heat pump system more efficient. Utilizing Green Power as suggested in the letter completely eliminates the use of fossil fuels. Homeowners can purchase Green Power in the form of Energy certificates on a dollar per KWH basis. These certificates require Bangor Hydro to purchase electricity from wind and hydro sources. For more information, see http://www.mainegreenpower.org/