New York Times: One part of the destruction wrought when Hurricane Sandy struck New York City was to heating and cooling systems. Local geothermal energy companies have had many building managers contact them to replace the damaged systems. Geothermal systems use a series of pipes drilled into the earth, where the fluid flowing through the pipes is heated and cooled by the earth itself. Digging and installing the systems can be difficult and expensive, but the annual savings on energy expenditures can be from 30% to 60%. And because most systems are closed and don’t involve any combustion, they require minimal maintenance and have longer lifespans. In New York City, more than 100 geothermal systems are already in operation. Most are for smaller buildings, because systems for larger buildings require more wells and therefore larger plots of land. Matt Donolli, a managing partner at Edwards & Zuck, says that a 500-unit multifamily building would require 10-15 wells.
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I wanted to make your readers aware that there is a brand new type of ground source hx, a hybrid, low-impact, direct-exchange heat exchanger know as the GeoColumn coming onto the market in nearby Long Island. It is a dx coil housed inside an HDPE containment that is filled with 100% tap water. The entire unit is a factory manufactured, off-the-shelf product and is simply inserted in a 30″ wide X 23′ deep borehole that can be quickly installed by excavation type equipment in granular soils. As the caps of these GeoColumns reside only 3′-4′ beneath the surface they can be repaired, removed or replaced (should the need ever arise). One of the primary intents of the GeoColumn technology is to allow retro-fit or new installs in urban or suburban settings as only 16′ long by 10′ wide of ground surface area is required per ton of capacity. As the GeoColumn can be installed by almost anyone with strong A/C or heat pump experience and background it is seen that the GeoColumn technology can aid in reducing the complexity, increasing the market share and lowering the costs thereto for “Going Geo” which in turn will aid in enabling both more dealer/installers and end users to participate in the benefits of geothermal HVAC.