We don't use wells, we have 500' of coiled tubes buried 10'. We had a week of -26F this winter and everything worked great. Heating, cooling and hot water are averaging a little over a buck a day. We are adding a fireplace this year as a back-up in case we lose electricity during one of those cold snaps.
Nothing like thinking outside the box!
I can't wait to sell this house once the youngest is out of high school, buy some land, and have another shot at building our own place.
You've given me some more good ideas to put in my steno book of House Thoughts.
My parents got a soapstone prefab fireplace that is a lot more solid than the metal ones that go < clang > when you drop a piece of firewood. They couldn't use a metal one anyway because they live on a salt marsh and it would rust to pieces immediately. The fireplace and flue tiles were made by a Scandinavian firm - if you're interested I can find out more.