Apr 21, 2008 11:01 pm US/Eastern
Cheap Energy In Backyards Heats Up
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
While some homeowners feel desperate every time they see the size of their gas or electric bill, others are getting all the energy their homes need just by digging deep in their own back yard.
In one case, crews not only drilled for oil outside a West Brookfield home, but they're using something below the earth's surface to heat and cool the house. It's called geothermal energy.
"We're actually using the ground to give off or absorb heat for the heating and air conditioning of the house," said Ken Nielsen with Accuaire, Inc.
Under the frost line, the ground stays about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Wells tap into that constant temperature, and with either water or refrigerant, bring it up to the house. In the winter, the temperature is raised just enough to heat the house. In the summer, the house is naturally cooled.
The result is cheap energy. When a system like this is finished it needs very little electricity to run a compressor.
"We are finding that it costs about $400 a year to heat your house and about $150 to cool it," Nielsen said.
Installing a geothermal system is a big investment, but with rising energy costs, the time that it takes to pay for itself keeps getting shorter and shorter.
"It was a five to six year payback period, which was pretty short in the spectrum of these types of decisions," said Steve Ginsberg with Noble and Greenough School.
Ginsberg says the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham converted its building to geothermal energy because it made financial sense, and it sent a good message.
"This is a real important philosophical change that is happening in society, and what better place than a school to model that kind of change?" Ginsberg said.
Geothermal energy is just starting to take off. Nielsen is getting more and more inquiries from homeowners, particularly those who don't have enough sun for solar panels.
"I think that there's a lot of potential for this," Nielsen said. "It can be used in urban areas."
In fact, his next job is in Brookline.
Another benefit to homeowners is they don't have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning since no fossil fuels are being burned in a furnace.
Visit
www.earthsource-energy.com and
www.accuaireinc.com to find out more about some local companies involved in geothermal energy.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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