The expense of retrofitting existing systems is justified by the long-term economic and environmental benefits. In terms of residential applications, Victoria Weaver of Home Comfort Center in Kamloops, said she is seeing a lot of interest in geothermal systems. But the high cost of installation still turns many customers off. More often than not it would be used in new home construction. But if you've got some land, that's usually the key, because you need to have either a well that you're not using, be able to drill a well or have irrigation ditches.
People are interested in the environment until it costs some extra money.
Now we're seeing that people love the environmental benefits, but they can also actually save money on their heating costs, so it makes sense.