The geothermal way to save on energy bills

The geothermal way to save on energy bills
By Suzie Schottelkotte

Mulberry – When Jack Hathaway’s electric bill began averaging more than $200, he decided that he’d had enough. But he wasn’t about to sacrifice his air conditioning, so he began looking for ways to reduce his energy costs. Hathaway believes he’s found his answer in eight tons of coiled plastic tubing, measuring 8,000 linear feet, buried four feet under the ground. “It’s a geothermal system,” said Hathaway, 48. “My goal is to have an electric bill that’s less than $25, and I think that’s going to happen.” With Hathaway’s existing 1,590-square-foot house in Mulberry, reaching that goal seems plausible. But he’s adding an estimated 3,700 square feet of living space onto the back of his home and with a second floor, which creates a greater challenge. “We’re going to be building the addition using polystyrene foam blocks, which are highly efficient for energy,” said Hathaway, who lives at 3045 Dove Lane. “

Combining those together (with the geothermal system) should make for a very efficient house.” Jay Egg, a Tampa contractor who’s installing Hathaway’s system, said that the average geothermal system reduces a homeowner’s electric bill by half. “By comparison, the geothermal system costs about twice as much to install,” Egg said. “But you make up the difference in energy savings, most of the time within a few years.” The system costs about $11,000 for a 3,500-square-foot home, compared to an estimated $6,000 for a standard central heat and air system or heat pump. Geothermal technology isn’t new, said Egg, president of Egg Systems Inc. in Tampa. “The technology has been around for quite awhile,” he said. “It’s been used quite a bit up North, but it’s gradually becoming more popular here.”

Clearwater Air Conditioning

The system circulates water through underground pipes that ultimately carry water through the home’s air transfer unit. In the unit, the water either heats or cools the air that’s blown into the home, depending on the season. Since the lower ground in Central Florida, beginning at three feet below the surface, maintains a constant temperature of 72 degrees, water passing through pipes in the ground is heated or cooled to that temperature. “You can also tie in a hot water tank to this system, and use it to heat your water,” Egg said. The water circulation system is closed, meaning that the water never leaves the pipes, he said. “We’ve had people ask about leaks,” Egg said. “These pipes are made of high-density polyethylene, the same material that’s used for natural gas distribution lines. We use heat fusion to join the pipes. “Basically, you’re looking at a 300-year life span for this material,” he said. John Currier, manager of energy services for Tampa Electric Co., said that the utility has endorsed geothermal technology. “We think it has a lot of promise,” he said. “It’s a renewable resource because it’s a closed system coming out of the ground, and it reduces energy costs by as much as 50 percent.”

Instead of manufacturing the warm or cool air, as with conventional units, the system uses the ground to adjust the temperature, then blows the air into the home. “The only down side is the cost,” Currier said. “But it makes up for that in the low operating costs.” Ed Goggans, service manager for Lineberger Heating and Cooling Inc. in Lakeland, agreed that geothermal systems hold promise. “it sure sounds like a good system, and it wouldn’t require much maintenance,” said Goggans, whose company installs conventional heating and cooling systems. “I think we always need to look at new technology with an open mind.”

Tampa Geothermal Installation

Hathaway said he’s had no second thoughts about installing a system at his Mulberry home. I’ve known that it works, because my sister (in Highlands county) has been on a system like this for 15 years,” he said. “They’ve never had a problem. They have a really large house, and their utility bills are never more than about $90.” Hathaway expected to have the pipes installed this week, then he’ll begin construction on his addition. “I’m hoping to have the roof on the addition by the first of the year,” said Hathaway, a retired sales manager for Motorola, “if the weather cooperates.” Because of the size of Hathaway’s addition, he’s installing one air transfer unit for the existing house and a second unit for the addition. That will give him more temperature control in different parts of the house, and allow him to close off those areas that aren’t being used. The cost for the second unit, Egg said, is about $1,200. “You don’t have to install a separate unit, though,” Egg said. “You can do a zoned system with up to 20 zones per unit. But some people choose to have a second unit because it does afford greater control, and there’s less energy loss.”

Press Release

PRESS RELEASE
February 22, 2009

Geothermal (GeoExchange) Heat Pump Technology is Poised to Support Economic Recovery and Long-Term Energy goals

Geothermal Tax Credits

The stimulus package is intended to create and save 3.6 million jobs and jumpstart the economy with economic recovery tax cuts and targeted investments. In addition to putting money back in the pockets of consumers and businesses, the package also includes provisions that will help achieve long-term goals, such as improving energy efficiency in both the public and private sectors.

Among those provisions, the plan calls for a disbursement of $6.9 billion to state and local governments for energy efficiency upgrades and the reduction of carbon emissions, which amounts to an average of $100 million to each state.

By investing a portion of this $100 million in rebates or low interest loans to homeowners who replace their old fossil fuel or electric furnaces with geothermal heat pumps, the country would definitely make progress toward the goals of the stimulus package. States that have invested in similar programs were able to create hundreds of green collar jobs while significantly increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

Green Jobs. An additional state $2,000 rebate on the purchase of a geothermal heat pump – or the availability of low interest loans – could generate an additional 200 heat pump sales every month in a typical state, or 2,400 geothermal heat pump unit sales at the end of the first year. Further, every 18 heat pump installations can create one new job. By the end of the first year that means 133 new green collar jobs can be created (2,400 units divided by 18 installations per job). At $2,000 per unit, the total cost of a job creation/energy efficiency rebate program would be $4.8 million over the course of a year.

Every geothermal heat pump requires 24 hours of manufacturing labor and 32 hours of installation labor. Small businesses involved in the installation include heating and air conditioning contractors, electricians, plumbers, excavators and drilling machine operators. These businesses have the capacity and technical skills to begin installing green geothermal technology in more homes immediately.

Reduced Carbon Footprint. In addition to creating jobs, a rebate program and the ensuing installation of geothermal heat pumps would cut an average four metric tons of carbon emissions per year per unit due to the high energy efficiency of geothermal heat pump technology. This means that for the average unit life of 24.4 years, 97.6 metric tons of emissions could be eliminated over the lifetime of each unit, and 234,240 tons over the lifetime of every 2,400 units sold through a state rebate program.

A recent report published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory estimated that aggressive deployment of GHPs could achieve 35 to 40 percent of a recommended carbon reduction path for the U.S. building sector. The full report can be downloaded atornl232.geoexchange.org

If every state takes at least five percent of the funding available through the energy efficiency portion of the stimulus package and invests it in a geothermal heat pump incentive, there couldn’t be a more cost effective, greener way to put people back to work, save fossil fuel, reduce carbon emissions and save homeowners thousands of dollars per year for the next 24 years. It’s the stimulus that keeps on stimulating.

Tampa Geothermal Installation

Economic Recovery. The stimulus package funding is critical to a U.S. heating and air conditioning industry that has been hit hard by the recession. The collapse of the residential new construction market and the lack of consumer financing have slammed the industry over the past two years, and heating system sales were down to levels not seen since 1970.

Geothermal heat pumps are built by manufacturers in the United States at domestic plants in nine states, and geothermal heat pump systems are operating and saving energy in all 50 states and are being exported around the globe.

For more information contact EggComfort at http://www.eggcomfort.com or call (727)848-7545

Geothermal Tax Credit/Benefits

It's a great time to invest in geothermal heating and cooling technology. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 recently lifted the caps on tax credits to qualified geothermal heat pumps, which was previously set at $2000. Homeowners who install a geothermal ground loop or ground water geothermal heat pump qualify for this one time of up to 30% of the total investment, as long as the pump meets or exceeds EnergyStar requirements and installed after December 31, 2009. Business owners will receive a credit of 10% of the total investment. Units installed in 2008 are subject to a $2,000 cap, but those installed between 2009-2016 have no cap.


This substantial tax credit is just one of the many benefits of using geothermal technology to heat and cool your home. Geothermal systems use 25-50% less electricity than conventional systems. According to the EPA, geothermal pumps reduce energy consumption up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps, and up to 72% compared to standard air-conditioning. In humid areas, like Florida, geothermal heat pumps improve humidity control by maintaining 50% relative indoor humidity.

Geothermal Tax Credits

But it's not just the tax credit or energy savings that should peek your interest, geothermal heat pumps are also extremely durable and reliable. The underground piping carries warranties of 25-50 years, and the heat pumps are known to last twenty years of longer.

So, if you're looking for a reliable system that will also give you tremendous savings on your energy bill over the long-run, a geothermal heat pump may just be what you're looking for!

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Did you know the earth can heat and cool your home while saving on energy costs over the long term?

Just below the earth's surface, the temperature remains relatively constant throughout the year by absorbing half the sun's energy. Geothermal heat pumps tap into this natural ground source of energy reducing heating costs up to 60%, and cooling costs by 25% in summer months. GHP's have three components: a ground heat pump, a closed pipe system, and the air delivery system. Buried in the ground is the closed loop, which is a continuous loop of polyethylene pipe. It's filled with water or an anti-freeze solution and connected to an indoor heat pump, forming an underground loop. The system circulates water through underground pipes that ultimately carry water through the home’s air transfer unit. In the heating mode, the liquid in the pipes is cooler than the ground. In the cooling mode, the soil is cooler than the liquid.

Tampa Geothermal Air Conditioning

Geothermal technology has been around for a while, but is gradually becoming more popular. A geothermal system costs about twice as much as a conventional heating and cooling system; however, the energy savings combined with the new tax credit on these systems, most people make their investment back in three to five years. In Florida, that could mean a savings of up to $40 a month on air conditioning bills.

These systems are extremely durable, and when properly installed, this tubing will last fifty years or longer.

Geothermal System is Really Cool

The Tampa Tribune – Home Saturday, November 12, 1994

Geothermal system is really cool by Beth Dolan

Tampa – You pick up the oddest things in the strangest places. Like the fact that the temperature of the earth in Central Florida, 3 feet below the surface, is a constant 72 degrees F. Now, maybe I heard that years ago, but if I did I sure had forgotten it. But during a tour of the Brittany model on the Street of Dreams in Avila a few weeks ago, Custom Craft Homes’ Ernest Lashlee touted the house’s geothermal heating and cooling system. He said it is successful, in part, because a portion of the system is buried into the ground. Lashlee touted the comfort as well as the energy efficiency of the system. The day was warm, and inside the air was delightful.

Comfort and efficiency

“There’s nothing that even comes close to the efficiency and comfort of the system,” says Jay Egg, president of Egg Systems Inc. of Oldsmar, which distributes and installs geothermal systems. Unlike those in standard heating and cooling systems, the compressors for the geothermal units are inside the house. The closed system of pipes that transport recirculated water to cool or heat a home are buried in the yard or on the bottom of a body of water, such as the Intracoastal Waterway or Tampa Bay.

“When the temperature is 90 degrees outside and other heat pumps are struggling, or on days when regular pumps (turn) on and off, the geothermal systems provide constant comfort,” says Egg. “It’s a happy medium … low enough to help cool and high enough for heating.” The inside location of the compressor promotes longevity of the system, reduces outside noise and eliminates maintenance, except for monthly filter changes, Egg says. He’s quick to add that the unit still requires refrigerant to operate. “Without that,” he says, “the system is not efficient enough to properly heat or cool. It actually works because the recirculating water inside the system pulls heat from the ground to heat the house and returns heat to the ground from inside the house to cool it.” Egg’s systems have dehumidifiers that aid in drying houses while keeping the temperature within the constant. “They alleviate that cold and clammy feeling you get when you run standard systems, trying to remove the humidity,” he says. The geothermal heating and cooling systems, Egg says, have received government baking. “The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy endorse it as the cleanest and most energy efficient technology available in the world today for air conditioning and heating.”

Saving energy and money

According to a 1993 EPA report, “By aggressively promoting these technologies wherever they are cost effective, utilities could save 28 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and offset the need for 113 typically sized (300 megawatts) electric power plants in the year 2000. They could also reduce annual gas demand by over 825 million therms.” And utility companies aren’t the only ones that save when geothermal heating and cooling are used. “Any house is a candidate,” Egg says, “and any house that has one installed will see an immediate return on its investment by lower heating and cooling bills.” Homeowners, he says, will generally see a return on the installation cost in under five years. “Tampa Electric Co. also offers $350 rebate for anyone in their service area who replaces an existing pump with a geothermal heat pump,” he adds. Egg notes that installation of the system takes about a week and that it needn’t disrupt an already perfectly landscaped yard. “Some homeowners don’t mind having their yards ripped up to install the ‘slinky’ type of system, but for a little bit more, you can have a vertical system installed, which will look like a few rows of sprinkler pipe have been installed.”

Homeowners who live on the water can use the systems, too. “We have no problems with Swiftmud or the Army Corp of Engineers,” he says, “since we have EPA endorsements, and there’s no consequence to any waterway to have piping on its bottom.” Want to see one in action? For more information, call (727)848-7545 or visit www.EggComfort.com