Creature Comforts Heating and cooling options abound, whether you're building a new home or converting an outdated system

When Barbara and Bill Larson built their home two years ago in Cottage Grove, they went to great lengths to make it energy efficient.

“I’m a little on the frugal order. I like to save money where I can,” says Bill Larson, a farmer.

From the start, the Larsons paid tremendous attention to every detail involved in constructing their 1,920- square-foot, three-bedroom ranch home.

Their new home is what energy experts call passively solar-oriented, meaning it doesn’t have solar panels but was designed to take maximum advantage of Mother Nature. The home was strategically positioned on its 10-acre lot to be as warm as possible in winter and as cool as possible in summer. Triple-glazed windows in the home greatly reduce the loss of heated or cooled air, and they face the south, allowing the sun’s rays to warm the home even on the coldest of winter days. Large overhangs on those windows also keep the house comfortably cool in the dog days of summer. High-traffic rooms, like the kitchen and family room, were placed in spots that would allow for maximum natural light and optimum temperatures. When insulating their home, the Larsons used the highest grade of materials available.

With all that attention to energy efficiency, it isn’t surprising that the Larsons also did a lot of research before selecting a heating and cooling system for the home in which they planned to live out their golden years. And never before have homeowners like the Larsons had so many choices in home heating and cooling.

Depending on your budget, the fuel types available to you, and the location of your home, the decision could be as baffling as ordering a cup of gourmet coffee. Central heat and air, or radiant? How do you feel about baseboard heating? Is geothermal or in-floor heating an option? What about a split-ductless system?

Ultimately, the Larsons opted to invest in a geothermal heating and cooling system, with in-floor heating. While the cost was nearly double that of a conventional central heat and air system, the Larsons knew their decision would, over time, have them and the planet seeing green. “Our house loses very little heat and we don’t have to add much to keep it comfortable. One thing that I like about the whole system is, because our house is so well-insulated and because of those high-performance windows, in the daytime, we don’t lose any temperature in the house,” says Bill Larson, adding that the geothermal system also keeps their house quite cool in the summer through a reverse heating mechanism.

The Larsons will likely recoup their outlay of over $10,000 for geothermal and in-floor heating in just a few years. Their previous home, which was over 2,000 square feet and built 40 years ago, averaged utility bills of about $250 a month. In their new home, though, those same bills have yet to exceed $55. Tax breaks and utility rebates are also available to people like the Larsons, who opt for certain energy efficient systems.

While the Larsons’ savings aren’t typical, they do illustrate how efficient heating and cooling systems can save homeowners thousands of dollars over time.

Spend, to save

Mike Hoffer, owner of Shackelford Heating and Cooling, has been in business for 13 years. He says about 75 percent of his business is outfitting existing homes with new heating and cooling systems. Those homeowners, he says, see a big difference on their utility bills almost immediately.

“Our biggest comment that we get from people, shortly after they get the equipment, is how quiet the equipment is, and then that next month when the bill comes, they notice an electrical savings right then and there,” says Hoffer.

He adds that most of the existing homes he serves are usually in dire need of greater efficiency. “We’ll go into houses that are probably 55 percent efficient and in one day, we can get them up to 95 percent efficient, with nothing else being addressed. That’s just putting in a new piece of equipment,” he explains.

But how do you decide what system is best for your home and your wallet? If you’re building a new home, it’s often easier to go for the best options available, as doing so will likely have a barely noticeable effect on your monthly mortgage payment.

Jerry Brown, owner of Brown Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc., installed the Larsons’ system. He says rising fuel prices and declining fuel sources are making geothermal more appealing to many people building new homes.

“It’s been around for some time,” Brown explains, “but it’s getting much more popular now. [Popular expenses like] granite countertops don’t pay for themselves, but certain heating systems will pay for themselves in a relatively short amount of time. You can always upgrade things in your kitchen [down the road], but it’s a little harder to do that with something like heating and cooling.”

Upgrading an older home

Still, geothermal and in-floor heating and cooling is not going to be within everyone’s financial reach, especially those with existing or older homes.

If you’re thinking about a new heating and cooling system for an existing home, experts say you should also try to simultaneously address other temperature-altering issues like insulation and windows.

“First, make your home more efficient because the more efficient a building is, the better it will do retaining heated or cooled air,” says Leo Udee, a trade account manager with Alliant Energy. “Without addressing those other issues, you won’t be able to get the maximum benefit.”