Geothermal Won’t Get You In Hot Water!

The Geothermal Ground Source Energy Forum in Burlington, Vermont Saturday 4.17.10. Senator Sanders flanked by Deputy Energy Secretary Cathy Zoi and Congressman Peter Welch at Contois Auditorium.

The ground is one energy source that doesn’t get much respect in colder climates that aren’t sitting on geothermal hot springs. Even though several dozen ground source heat pumps (GSHP) have been installed in Vermont during the past year. Thanks to Senator Bernie Sanders, Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi and Congressman Peter Welch GSHP could become much more common in Vermont. That’s because until 2016, GSHP heating units will get 30% tax credit funding, for projects with an unlimited cost! And GSHP have shown to be a very clean, effective, energy-efficient source for heating homes and commercial sites, with well-insulated envelopes. Our two congressmen have fought hard to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and replace the $350 billion a year we spend on imported oil with sustainable, homegrown sources. As Assitant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Zoi’s office is working hard to bring GSHP to speed and scale and believes we have a “JFK moment” similar to President Kennedy’s call to action in the race to the moon. Several examples of GSHP energy in Vermont were described at the forum.

David Pill, an architect who built an award-winning carbon-neutral geothermal house in Charlotte commented that after 3 years his house is actually energy positive. His backyard wind turbine and solar panels generate enough electricity to power the GSHP, with water supplied from two drilled wells, and then sells some surplus electricity back to the utility company!

Mike McCardle from the State of Vermont described two state buildings using GSHP for heat, including the Sharon Visitor’s Center and a Bennington Office Building, saving $20,000 and $14,000 a year on heating. The geothermal systems have payback times of 7 and 4 years respectively. Another expert, Jim Ashley from Danville commented that on average one million BTU’s of GSHP energy costs about $10 to produce.

With savings like these, using clean energy, why aren’t there more people using GSHP technology in Vermont? Some said it is counter-intuitive for homeowners to think that they can take cold water out of the ground and heat their homes with it. Others said that there is not much publicity about it, there is a status quo with fossil fuels and wood heat here in Vermont. Others said that when people think of geothermal heating they think of hot springs and geysers,  and we don’t have too many of those in Vermont.

Can GSHP work for you? It works best on new buildings that are super-well insulated or older buildings that have been energy audited and have been retrofitted to be very tight. You also need a good water supply from the ground to use for heating and cooling, often two wells per house. One thing is for sure, a lot more people could be using it even in cold climates like Vermont, and tax credits could heat up demand for this technology. So how does it work?

Want to learn more? Check out Efficiency Vermont’s website on Ground Source Heat Pumps and see if they are right for you