geothermal is universal

Photo credit: Exclusive Geo Works, LLC

Geothermal technology no longer consists of simply harvesting energy from the earth and underground water resources. The energy-efficient technology consists of a specialized furnace that circulates water through buried tubing to supplement the conventional source of either heat or coolness to achieve the optimum human comfort temperature.



Geothermal is also no longer associated with buildings, whether residential or commercial, that have acreage… a significant amount of acreage. When interviewing Troyce “Buck” Webster, President of Exclusive Geo Works, LLC in Centerburg, Ohio, I discovered that geothermal is a much more stabilized technology than even ten years ago.

Most interesting, however, is that geothermal can be installed anywhere. Even in an urban infill area? “YES, all I need is a 12’x 12’ area of land,” says Webster.

I was most impressed that Webster uses his own home for extensive experiments on which types of geothermal technologies, trench profiles, and tubing lengths and configurations work best. Upon settling with a two-stage geothermal furnace and extra-long tubing, he spends only approximately $500 per year total to both heat and cool his drafty, old 2,000 square foot farmhouse. “The extra costs for the technology are recovered between 2-7 years,” says Webster.

His experiments do not end at the foot of his driveway. Already, several of Webster’s clients are indebted to his innovative spirit. Particularly interesting, Webster installed geothermal tubing underneath an organic farmer’s compost pile. The compost reaches as high as 135 degrees during the dead of winter in northern Ohio. When water passes through the tubing, the water passes into the farmer’s radiant heat flooring system.

Look for the full version of this article in www.greenbuildinginsider.com.