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Geothermal Field Guide

COSTS, OWNERSHIP & MONTHLY PATHWAY

How does a geothermal lease compare with traditional financing?

A monthly number is meaningful only when it is tied to a verified installation scope and the current agreement. Compare the preliminary purchase, WaterFurnace PremiumPath and a lender quote without hiding ownership, service, qualification or end-of-term conditions.

A geothermal monthly payment may reflect the eligible installed project, the ownership structure, program pricing, service obligations and other agreement terms. It is not created by dividing the preliminary website price by a number of months. The authorized program workflow must use the verified project and current disclosures.

This site does not invent a monthly payment. Geo Pros shows one exact, dated PremiumPath dealer-portal test quote as a clearly labeled reference. It becomes a matching-project example only when the preliminary total is exactly $50,033; it is never scaled to another price. The site also shows only the currently verified Service Finance plans that fit the preliminary amount. Plans 4107 and 4626 can display labeled payment illustrations; Plan 1012 still requires the lender’s exact deferred-interest schedule.

CURRENT PREMIUMPATH GUIDE

What WaterFurnace PremiumPath currently describes.

Palmetto owns the geothermal system during the lease term; the homeowner receives use of the installed system and the program services described in the agreement. 10-year initial lease term. The dealer portal currently offers 0.00%, 0.99%, and 1.99% annual-escalator choices.

Included for an approved project
  • Eligible system and ordinary installation included in the approved PremiumPath project amount
  • Full-term parts and service/repair labor coverage
  • Annual preventative-maintenance appointment
  • System monitoring where the approved installation supports it
Qualification and billing
  • 680 FICO base using the higher of TransUnion and Equifax
  • Soft credit inquiry and no debt-to-income calculation
  • No bankruptcy within the seven-year lookback
  • Applicant must be on the property title
  • Qualification, property eligibility, system design, documentation, and final approval remain separate decisions
  • ACH autopay is required before Notice to Proceed
  • First payment is due 30 days after installation according to the current qualification guide

The current guide also describes renewal, purchase/buyout, return and upgrade possibilities. The customer-specific agreement controls transfer, renewal, buyout, removal and UCC-1 details.

Palmetto geothermal program overviewPalmetto geothermal loop-field requirementsPalmetto qualification requirementsPalmetto warranty and service guidePalmetto end-of-term and buyout guide

START WITH SCOPE

The installed project must be defined first.

The current lite screen can assemble a preliminary equipment package, a supported loop-field price class, a directional-bored header allowance, a permit allowance and estimated sales tax. It also identifies the ordinary installation items included in that screen.

Current online scope
  • Supported equipment and loop price classes
  • Ordinary removal, installation and startup
  • Desuperheater and standard hot-water plumbing
  • Bored-header and permit allowances
  • Estimated sales tax
Requires site pricing
  • Electrical circuits or service upgrades
  • Duct modifications
  • Restoration and restricted access
  • Rock or difficult drilling
  • Creating site access
  • Vacuum truck rental

WHO OWNS WHAT

Ownership changes the meaning of the payment.

A lease, loan and cash purchase are different arrangements. The customer should know who owns the equipment during the term, who may claim available incentives, what rights and responsibilities transfer with the home, and what options exist at the end of the agreement.

  • Identify the legal owner of the equipment and loop assets.
  • Confirm who receives any tax credit, rebate or other incentive.
  • Document customer responsibilities for access, operation and property conditions.
  • Review transfer, purchase, removal and end-of-term provisions in the actual agreement.

ONGOING RESPONSIBILITIES

Service language needs the same attention as price.

Monitoring, preventive maintenance, repairs, filters, loop service, response times and exclusions should be read from the current agreement. A phrase such as “service included” is not specific enough to publish without the covered equipment, term, process and exceptions.

Confirm the handoff path.

The customer should know whether a service request starts with West Jefferson, the program provider or another party, and how ServiceTitan job history will connect to the program record.

READ BESIDE THE PAYMENT

The monthly number is only one agreement field.

PAYMENT

Amount and changes

Confirm the initial payment, whether it can change, the payment schedule, late terms and any separate charges.

PROPERTY

Transfer and sale

Review what happens if the home is sold, refinanced, transferred or no longer qualifies under the original assumptions.

EXIT

Buyout and end of term

Read the available purchase, continuation, removal or other end-of-term options and how any amount is determined.

FROM WEBSITE TO AUTHORIZED OFFER

A transparent monthly pathway has checkpoints.

  1. 01

    Lite screening: customer-entered home details, preliminary load class, equipment, loop, scope and installed-price components.

  2. 02

    Site verification: property access, load inputs, ducts, electrical conditions, exact equipment, loop design and excluded conditions.

  3. 03

    Final project scope: approved equipment, engineering, installation documents, price and responsible parties.

  4. 04

    Program workflow: current eligibility, required customer information, qualification and authorized disclosures.

  5. 05

    Customer review: monthly payment and the complete agreement considered together before acceptance.

DATA STILL REQUIRED

What must be confirmed before every project receives a payment.

  • Matching PremiumPath pricing from the Palmetto portal for each final project amount and selected system
  • Eligible equipment, loop types, project types and geographic limits
  • Approved price components, adders, exclusions, taxes and permit treatment
  • Required engineering, AHRI, commissioning and completion documents
  • Customer-specific agreement, disclosures and quote-validity period
  • Current Service Finance approval, customer-specific disclosures, fees and plan availability; Plan 1012 also requires the exact deferred-interest and minimum-payment schedule
  • Lead consent, ServiceTitan handoff, status updates and record retention

CUSTOMER REVIEW

Compare the full obligation, not only the first payment.

Place the verified geothermal project, ownership structure, expected service, exclusions and agreement terms side by side. The customer should be able to explain what is installed, who owns it, who services it, what they pay and what happens when they move or reach the end of the term.

PURCHASE

Cash

Compare the complete installed price, ownership, warranties and site-priced scope.

LEASE

WaterFurnace PremiumPath

Compare Year 1 payment, annual escalator, included service, qualification, ownership and end-of-term choices. Customer-specific pricing and disclosures come through the Palmetto dealer workflow.

LOAN

Traditional financing

Compare the lender APR, term, fees, amount financed, total of payments and credit requirements.

Review West Jefferson Plumbing and Heating financing options →

Open the geothermal versus conventional guide →

SCOPE FIRST, PAYMENT SECOND

Build the verified project behind the monthly number.

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