So, a geothermal heat pump? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heat_pump
Hmm not sure why that wikipedia article calls it geothermal, you need 0 geothermal activity to take advantage of the temperature difference in the earth.
Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
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Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#12There doesn't appear to be anything new about this, ground-source heat pumps have been available for domestic use for quite some time. And going by the name, and looks, it's actually an air-source heat-pump, but I could be wrong.
Dandelion uses a cheaper drilling method to reduce up-front costs. https://blog.x.company/introducing-dandelion-2706eded169a
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#13There doesn't appear to be anything new about this, ground-source heat pumps have been available for domestic use for quite some time. And going by the name, and looks, it's actually an air-source heat-pump, but I could be wrong.
I had heard that these types of systems existed/were used in places like Iceland (or was it Sweden?)...But I wasn't aware they could be leveraged in areas where there might not be as much underground geothermal activity. Unless, I'm misunderstanding what dependencies are needed for these types of systems to work. In any case, if this is not new, any competition to the way we heat/cool our homes - assuming it brings l…
They don't rely on any special geological phenomena. They work like a regular air conditioner or heat pump (compressor, refrigerant, condenser, evaporator) but instead of pumping heat to/from the outside air, they pump it to/from the ground.
The advantage is that, while the outside air is almost always the wrong temperature (hot in the summer when your pump needs it to absorb heat, cold in the winter when you need to pull heat out of it), the ground is basically always the right temperature.
The disadvantage is install costs because you have to put piping underground by either trenching or drilling.
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#14Feels like a bit of 'jump the shark' moment for google...a geothermal heat pump called dandelion from an advertising and search company. Does it connect to nest and phone home information about our homes?
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#15Dandelion Air is a geothermal system that moves heat between the house and the ground using plastic pipes and a pump -- bringing heat to the building in winter and pushing heat to the ground in summer. So what we've been putting in homes for ~40 years already. Thanks Google!
My local well drilling guy has offered "geothermal" for years (decades?) Despite a large inventory of wealthy second home owners, he didn't get and still doesn't get many takers. Meanwhile, rooftop solar is everywhere.
My parents almost bought their "retirement home" with an existing geothermal system - it remains the only "real world" home instance of this technology that I have encountered.
$20K also seems very close to the price he told me years ago - I fail to see the innovation here. I'm sure there's something here, but the article doesn't help illuminate it.
Edit: Another HNer posted this, apparently it's a cheaper drilling technique: https://blog.x.company/introducing-dandelion-2706eded169a
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#16Feels like a bit of 'jump the shark' moment for google...a geothermal heat pump called dandelion from an advertising and search company. Does it connect to nest and phone home information about our homes?
Yes, it comes with a Nest thermostat.
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#17There doesn't appear to be anything new about this, ground-source heat pumps have been available for domestic use for quite some time. And going by the name, and looks, it's actually an air-source heat-pump, but I could be wrong.
I had heard that these types of systems existed/were used in places like Iceland (or was it Sweden?)...But I wasn't aware they could be leveraged in areas where there might not be as much underground geothermal activity. Unless, I'm misunderstanding what dependencies are needed for these types of systems to work. In any case, if this is not new, any competition to the way we heat/cool our homes - assuming it brings l…
They don't depend on geothermal activity. They depend on the relatively constant temp of the ground below the freeze line. In most places if you go down a few feet the earth is 40-50 degrees F. Its basically a heat pump that uses water instead of air.
My sister outside of Pittsburgh, PA has had a https://www.waterfurnace.com for 17 years. Her system has paid for itself a few times over. She has 1500 ft of plastic tubing burried in her front yard.
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#18There doesn't appear to be anything new about this, ground-source heat pumps have been available for domestic use for quite some time. And going by the name, and looks, it's actually an air-source heat-pump, but I could be wrong.
I had heard that these types of systems existed/were used in places like Iceland (or was it Sweden?)...But I wasn't aware they could be leveraged in areas where there might not be as much underground geothermal activity. Unless, I'm misunderstanding what dependencies are needed for these types of systems to work. In any case, if this is not new, any competition to the way we heat/cool our homes - assuming it brings l…
There is at least one old house right here in Atlanta, GA that uses geo-thermal.
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#19> Installation isn't cheap. Dandelion estimates the cost at around $20,000, depending on home size and state and federal incentives. But the company notes that consumers are likely to save about 20 percent annually on the cost of home heating and cooling. Are they aiming at regular home owners? Our heating/cooling is ~ $2.4k/year - about $200/month. Fluctuates - summertime is sometimes higher, winter can bring high h…
Maybe it makes sense for an apartment building or an entire block, together? (That said, a 2.5% inflation-adjusting yield isn’t terrible.)
Re: Google spinoff Dandelion uses ground energy to heat and cool homes
#20> Installation isn't cheap. Dandelion estimates the cost at around $20,000, depending on home size and state and federal incentives. But the company notes that consumers are likely to save about 20 percent annually on the cost of home heating and cooling. Are they aiming at regular home owners? Our heating/cooling is ~ $2.4k/year - about $200/month. Fluctuates - summertime is sometimes higher, winter can bring high h…
Maybe it makes sense for an apartment building or an entire block, together? (That said, a 2.5% inflation-adjusting yield isn’t terrible.)
Maintenance will be a recurring cost (amortised) cutting into the yield percentage.