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News: DNJ - Geothermal use heating up
2009-08-09 by admin
http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009908090333
BY MELINDA HUDGINS • MHUDGINS@DNJ.COM • AUGUST 9, 2009
Geothermal use heating up
Homeowners consider greener technology to heat, cool home
By using the constant 50 to 55 degree temperature of the earth or underground water source, residents can heat and cool their homes at a lesser expense than traditional methods, according to Jay Tedder, co-owner of The Tedder Company. Because everything is buried underground outside, homeowners don't have to worry about a big unit behind or beside the house. A geothermal system circulates a water-based solution through a buried loop system to take advantage of these constant temperatures. Tedder explained that during the heating cycle, the fluid circulates through the loop extracting heat from the ground, which is then transferred to the geothermal unit. The unit compresses the extracted heat to a high temperature and delivers it into the home through a normal duct system or radiant heat system. For cooling, the process is simply reversed. Because the earth is much cooler than the air temperatures on a hot day, the geothermal system removes heat from the home and deposits it into the ground. The fluid is cooled by the ground temperatures and returned to the unit to cool the home. The heat that results from the compression is then expelled back underground and then cooled by the naturally lower temperature of the earth, Tedder said. The Tedder Company is in the process of installing an open-loop geothermal system in Bryan Clayton's home, which is currently under construction in the Mirabella subdivision in Murfreesboro. With a 6,400-square-foot home to heat and cool, Clayton decided that utilizing geothermal heat would be most beneficial to him. "I plan on living in this house for (at least) 15 years, and it just seemed like it would pay for itself in five or less years," said Clayton, who owns Peachtree Landscaping in Murfreesboro. He and Tedder crunched some numbers and decided that, based on the comparable electricity bills in the subdivision, the geothermal system would cut his costs in half. "It made sense as an upfront investment, based on how long it would take for a return investment," Clayton said.
Tedder explained that geothermal heating and cooling systems generally cost about 20 to 30 percent more than even the most expensive traditional systems. However, because of new federal tax credits, that cost ends up about equal. According to the U.S. Department of Energy Web site, "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 extended many consumer tax incentives originally introduced in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) and amended in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-343)." It allows for residents to receive renewable energy tax credits. Consumers who install solar energy systems (including solar water heating and solar electric systems), small wind systems, geothermal heat pumps, and residential fuel cell and microturbine systems can receive a 30 percent tax credit for systems placed in service before Dec. 31, 2016; the previous tax credit cap no longer applies. "The tax credit made it monetarily possible," Clayton said. "This system is going to cost about double what a typical air-to-air system was going to run, and by the time I figured the tax credit, it was a (quick) return on investment." While Murfreesboro resident Tom Moreland wasn't offered a tax credit when The Tedder Company installed his geothermal system 14 years ago, he was drawn to its environmental and cost-saving benefits. "I had an interest early on in installing a geothermal unit when I was in the process of building my house," Moreland explained. "I was interested in the technology because I saw the tremendous savings and also the fact that I could have a unit which I felt would be very environmentally friendly." Because the unit heats and cools consistently by using less energy, the demand for electricity is lower, continued Moreland, who is also the residential marketing supervisor for Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corp. "What I have is probably an average of between $50 and $100 savings per quarter, depending upon the particulars of our habits of usage and changes in season," he said. Moreland also added that his closed-loop, horizontal geothermal unit heats roughly 1,800 square feet of his 2,000 square-foot home because he has an additional outside unit that heats the upstairs of his house. This type of system utilizes the constant temperature of the ground to heat and cool a home. This lessens his savings total a bit, he said. "But what I really did not expect was just the comfort level, as a whole," he said. "The cooling side especially has been just so much better than any other units I've ever had before and even the heating side is excellent." The Tedder Company also offers a number of products to help homeowners reduce their carbon footprint and their energy bills, from high efficiency heating/cooling units to Home Health inspections and Energy Star ratings.