Cost of Heating Calculator

There is a spreadsheet download available from the DOE. It compares different fuels and types of heaters that are commonly used in heating buildings.  The user is able to enter their own local values to make a more valid personal comparison. The sheet is updated regularly with the national average costs.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/experts/heatcalc.xls

The link is a download link

which fuel do you see as the most efficient?

For us right now it is natural gas with a 95% efficient hot air furnace. Cheaper but more work would be to cut haul, split and stack wood from our mountain property. 

Also good for a new installation here would be geo-thermal. I could likely power that off PV.

If you went Geothermal, would you be using well's or a pond?

Our primary residence is in the high mesa desert of NM. No ponds. The nearest water is about 1000+ feet straight down.

We'd do a closed loop in ground system. I've seen both vertical and horizontal systems installed here. We'd have to do a vertical most likely. This one had a series of vertically piped holes drilled in the front yard.