Free Tool · Geothermal
Geothermal Loop Borehole Cost Estimator
Estimate the vertical drilling for a ground-source heat pump loop field — total bore footage, number of boreholes, and drilling cost by ground type.
Ground type
Estimated loop-field drilling
Drilling cost range
$3,600 – $9,000
Total bore length
450 – 600 ft
Boreholes
2 – 3 holes
Heads up: drilling is 50–70% of the total loop-field cost — the heat pump, headers & connections are separate. This is the loop-field drilling estimate only.
2025–2026 market estimate. Actual cost depends on local geology, water table, site access and permits — always confirm with a licensed driller before you budget.
Next steps
Before you act on this number.
- How geothermal loop fields work Vertical, horizontal and pond loops, and when each is used.
- Water well cost estimator The same rig, different job — useful for comparison.
- Find a driller who does loop fields Not every water-well driller takes on geothermal boreholes.
Common questions
Reading this properly.
Because it is the part that varies most. Heat pumps and indoor equipment are priced from a catalogue; the ground is not. Drilling several hundred feet through hard rock costs very differently from the same depth through sand, and that difference usually decides whether a vertical loop makes sense on your site at all.
From the heating and cooling load the building needs, converted into a required length of buried pipe, then divided into boreholes of a workable depth. The ground’s ability to move heat matters as much as the load, which is why the same house needs a different loop field in different soil.
The heat pump, the indoor distribution, the header trenching back to the building, grouting specifics, and any permit or inspection fees. It estimates the drilling, not the installed system.
No. Where there is land available, a horizontal loop is usually cheaper because it is trenched rather than drilled. Vertical loops earn their cost on small sites, on rocky ground where trenching is hard, or where you do not want the yard disturbed.
Ready to get a real quote?
Geothermal loop drilling is specialty work — compare verified, licensed drillers near you who do ground-source loop fields.
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