Geothermal Heating and Spray Foam Insulation in Jamesville, NY

Challenge

This homeowner wanted us to update their large, inefficient, 1800’s colonial brick house into a more comfortable, energy-efficient home.

Solution

Insulation: Starting with an energy audit, it was determined that much of the home's heat was escaping through exfiltration and that we needed to tighten up this home in order to keep the heat in. Using a blower door for diagnostics, the crews found and sealed air leaks throughout the home. In the basement, spray foam insulation was used to seal and insulate leaky foundation walls and rim joists. Air Krete was utilized in hard-to-reach crawl spaces to insulate and air seal floors. Finally we added attic insulation using blown cellulose to bring the insulation values up to code. The home's infiltration rate was dropped 45% in this process!

Geothermal: We removed the old, fuel oil furnace that had a breached exchanger and added a new 5.5 ton direct exchange geothermal system--along with a backup high-efficiency LP gas furnace. The direct exchange geothermal system utilizes six - 100 foot wells that refrigeration piping is dropped down. A conductive grout is added to the well, ensuring proper ground contact. All six taps are connected via a manifold and then run into the home and married to the geothermal compressor unit. Ductwork was upgraded in size and design to ensure proper air flow to the home. All ductwork joint connections were sealed, as well. The home's original outdated electrical service was not able to handle the upgraded geothermal system, so a new 200 amp electrical service was installed.

Summary: By upgrading the home's thermal envelope, removing the expensive fuel oil heating source and adding a direct exchange geothermal system, the homeowners will be much more comfortable, along with the dramatic reduction in energy costs. The customer is also considering adding PV solar electric, which could possibly make this a "net-zero" home.