FACT: Geothermal systems provide the most efficient, comfortable and environmentally friendly method of heating & cooling.
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Geothermal System Helps Kentucky Family De-Stress Moving to a New Home, Saves Big on Utility Bills
Aug. 10, 2015 – They say that moving is one of the most stressful things in a person’s life. But thanks to geothermal technology, moving to a new home has been made less stressful for one family.
In a recent article in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Jamie and Haley Clark wanted to be near town and their daughter’s school. They began looking at homes to buy, but reached an impasse.
Haley desired a traditional Southern home while Jamie wanted a net-zero energy house. Net-zero energy homes, defined as homes that produce as much or more energy than they consume through the course of a year, generally are not designed and built with a traditional Southern style.
That’s when Jamie had an idea: find a grand Southern home that his wife loves and retrofit it with a geothermal system and other sustainable materials.
The Clarks were able to find such a home and a good solution to achieve both of their wants.
A ClimateMaster Trilogy® 45 heat pump system and a super-insulated iGate® Water Tank were installed in the home, which are big components in saving energy.
Heating, air conditioning and hot water currently comprise 73% of a home’s energy bill for the average American household. So if you can put a dent in those energy demands, it goes a long way toward greatly reducing monthly energy bills and energy usage.
Then add in the fact that the Clarks installed a Trilogy 45 system, which is currently the most energy efficient heating and cooling system available, and your chances at markedly lowering your energy usage get even better.
Other sustainable materials installed in the house were solar panels and ENERGY STAR® certified appliances.
So…Any Energy Savings?
But the entire reason to make these changes are to save a lot of energy and money on monthly utility bills. So, are Clarks saving energy? Is their home close to becoming a true net zero energy home?
From the article:
Early results are encouraging. The electric bill in December, when there were only six days with more than six hours of sunshine, was $153. But the bills were $11 in March, $30 in April and $9 in May.
Jamie said that a geothermal tax credit, which allows home owners to deduct 30% of the total geothermal system installed cost from their tax liability or tax due, would lower costs even more.
