Dandelion Energy

We are very pleased with our new geothermal heating and cooling system, and we love the idea of being on our way to freedom from fossil fuels.
1. How long have we had our Dandelion system? It was installed in December 2018.
2. What did we heat and cool with prior to installation of the geothermal system (e.g., natural gas, propane, fuel oil, electric)? Propane forced hot air for heat; we didn't have AC.
3. Is the geothermal unit able to meet our heating and cooling needs without a secondary source of heating or cooling? Yes.
4. What temperature do we typically have our building set to in the winter? Summer? This unit is installed in a building we use for public gatherings. (It is not our home.) We kept the temperature at 40 degrees this winter. It is an imperfectly insulated barn on a high open field with heavy exposure to the wind. The unit kept up with that level of demand very well.
5. Does it perform the way we expected? It does not heat the building quickly from a low temperature as propane forced hot air does, but that is to be expected. We have to plan ahead a little and heat the building gradually to get the most efficient performance. The system can make use of auxiliary resistance heating, which we have mostly been able to avoid.
6. Are we able to heat to 72 in the dead of winter? One day the installers performed a test and brought it up to about 70 degrees from around 40. Otherwise, we did not exercise the system in that way. Our interest was in saving energy, as we are not yet connected to our solar PV array.
7. How is its reliability? We don’t have a full year track record yet, but it has been very reliable so far.
8. How was the process of purchasing it from quote to flipping the system on? We had some back and forth communications about scheduling work days, which were all positive, and our only real involvement was in showing the workers where to find things. They were very responsive to text messages and phone calls. We used EnerBank USA financing, which has been very helpful. We got a nice credit on our income taxes, too.
9. Have we had any problems or maintenance issues with our geothermal system? The well driller (Derek Stewart) made an error in his routing of the water flow: he piped the two wells in series (one after the other), but he used smaller gauge pipe that was suited to a parallel configuration. That slowed down the efficiency of the unit, but the heat pump installers found the problem and Mr. Stewart reconfigured/remedied the problem.
10. Who performs maintenance on our geothermal system? The installers (Sun Dog Solar) have done some of it. Dandelion Energy has done some, and will be our contact in the future. We are enjoying the peace of mind of knowing they proactively monitor the system’s performance remotely. They call us if/when it needs an adjustment.
11. Were there any unforeseen costs associated with installation and operation of the system? No.
12. Is there anything we would do differently if we could do it all over again? No. We are very happy with this system and with the service we have had. We plan to install an 8+ kW solar array to more than offset the electricity demand. Our average electricity bill this winter was $157. per month for heating and it was $150. in the hottest month for air conditioning.

Our first heating experience was oil. Too expensive and dirty. We then converted to a coal furnace with propane backup, this was less expensive, but was dirtier yet and very labor intensive. We came across Dandelion and set up a consultation. The experience has been a very good one, from start to finish. This was our second winter and we couldn't be more pleased with the performance. Highly recommended. We will never pay fossil fuel costs again. 5 stars.

This was the single worst customer experience of my life, bar none. The yard was destroyed; the geothermal unit failed to deliver because it caught on fire during testing; and then the ground loops installed by their "partner" never worked. We terminated the relationship with Dandelion and had a second set of ground loops installed. Final cost: more than twice Dandelion's original estimate.

We knew nothing about geo, but Dandelion made sense of it for us. The quality of their proactive customer service is among the best we’ve ever seen. No more flammable heating oil sitting in the basement below us. No more outrageous oil expenses. Besides the comfort and performance of the system, we’re now not pumping carbon dioxide into the air.

Waste of time. Told them repeatedly what I needed, they were only interested in booking me in a 2 plus hour sales call which was a waste of time. They then Told me they could not provide for one of my requirements (which I had told them multiple time about before). They then never were able to provide a quote that they were suppose to send. I suppose if you have a cookie cutter house and want to experience a sleezy sales approach this is your company. If you want something more customer oriented for a big investment I would avoid this company.

Dandelion Sales uses a very deceptive practice to change the contract and force you into signing it, When you respond with some questions in regards to change in contract, he does not the like the idea of questions. He gets agitated when I mentioned the fact of the change he made on the contract. His response, if I am not interested to sign the contract then I do not have to move forward. My advice read your contract before signing it. Dandelion need to hire more professional salespeople who can help their company grow.

As someone with serious health concerns as it relates to air quality, the switch from an oil furnace to Dandelion Geothermal has made a greater difference than I can put into words. The difference in my monthly costs in the switch from oil to Geothermal are just as dramatic. I couldn’t be happier with the Dandelion system and everyone I’ve dealt with at the company!

Dandelion installed our geothermal system in late 2017, and we love it. So thankful to be completely off of fossil fuels, not having oil deliveries to the house, and the quiet comfort it provides.

Great customer service. Installation was on time, professional and very high quality. Replaced both my propane furnace and my central air and I now save money monthly. Have had no problems with it in the 9 months of ownership. Extremely satisfied.

Very happy to ditch the greasy oil tank, and the oil drips that inevitably get spilled dragging the hose across our pool deck. No more 'Bang - Whomp!" as the oil furnace kicks on or off - just quiet smooth warm air wafting though the house this winter. Noisy A/C compressor removed too, and the geothermal pumps out tons of cold air. We took the opportunity to re-zone our house from one zone that poorly serviced all three levels, to three separate zones, each controlled by its' own Nest controller. Installation was a little slow and involved as we were one of the first in our area to go with the Dandelion system, and had to work through a few complexities, like Water Commission approval. But it performs very quietly and efficiently; house is much more comfortable. Electric bill is only running about $100 more per month this winter, although it's been warmer than usual, so I expect it to be more. Plus, I've added a Tesla this year which increases the electric usage, so I expect it will climb a little bit. But even if it does, we've eliminated a $350-500 monthly winter oil bill.