[mc6809e]

So, it is an underground heat pump system. The weakest link is the compressor. We had to replace our heat pump/compressor every 5-10 years making it a very expensive heating system.

My heat pump has lasted at least 15 years.

Overall, heat pumps save money for most people, providing about 3.3 times as much heat as you'd get from direct heating by electricity. Typical open-loop systems like the one described in the article will give you back 4 to 5 times the heat.

Maybe you just had some bad luck.

[DB]

Just dig a deeper hole so you get geothermal heat. Then you don't need a heat pump. Just a pump. It probably takes a really deep hole... ;-) Bad luck if you hit some nasty gas... You might hit oil first though...

[Martin Tell]

My heat pump has lasted at least 15 years.

My wife called our (former) heat pump the "cold pump." Maybe it's efficient but it did not heat very well - not well enough to overcome even our mild Tennessee winters. We now use natural gas. It may be expensive, but it works.

[ErnBatavia]

I have a heat pump here in the desert where it doesn't get too cold...my problem with it is that if the outdoor temp drops below 40 or so (certainly not cold!) the damn compressor hisses and shuts off, leaving only the fan running. Such as that is, there's no way I'd want to leave the thermostat set to "heat" overnight.