As you can see from the picture below, the geothermal went in last month. Contractors brought in a well-digging truck and drilled a 400 foot deep well.
You can see the workers feeding the pipe into the ground. This pipe forms an 800 foot loop. Water will be pumped through this pipe loop using the natural properties of the earth to transfer heat to or from the home, depending on the season. It’s like their front yard is acting as a giant battery to store energy in the form of heat.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), geothermal heat pumps are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective systems for temperature control. Using a geothermal system is equal to planting 24 trees per year to off-set your carbon footprint. True, they cost twice as much as a conventional HVAC system, but they last two times longer and can cut your power and gas usage by 50%. One vendor is currently offering a $2000 rebate that can be combined with the $2000 Federal and $2000 State rebates for significant savings.
This isn’t the only green technology the owners will be implementing. They are also planning on rainwater reclamation and solar hot water. In fact, they have decided to go for LEED Renovation. Although LEED residential is starting to pop-up around Atlanta, we don’t know of a LEED Renovation, so this will be another ground-breaking project. There are so many things that can be done to make an old home healthier and more energy efficient. Much of them have to do with taking the building back to its original form.
So a dramatic rebirth for this solid old home! More info to come, so stay tuned…
~ Burke
