Professional Insulation & Heating Experts serving Tompkins County, NY

Sustainability is the new synonym for self sufficiency, and that was Dick Durst’s and Antje Baeumner’s goal when they engaged Halco Renewable Energy to install a geothermal heat pump and solar electric system at the Ithaca home they share with their two children.

To install the geothermal system, we drilled eight vertical holes 70 feet deep, using the drilling machine in the bottom left photo. We then installed 140 feet of copper pipe in each hole to carry refrigerant.

Depending on the operating mode, the refrigerant either absorbs heat or dissipates heat as it travels through the copper tubing. The heat pump extracts heat from the refrigerant when the home needs heating and extracts heat from the house and transfers it into the refrigerant when operating in air conditioning mode.

The heat pump connects to the air handler and duct system that was already in the house before this installation. The system also provides approximately 80 percent of the family’s domestic hot water requirements.

To power the home, we installed a ground-mounted array of (54) 225 Watt solar modules, oriented due South, on three adjustable-tilt pole mounts (top photo). The solar panels, which generate direct current, are connected to two inverters, which convert the current to alternating current (AC). The AC is needed to supply the home’s electrical needs.

This grid-connected system provides 12.15kW of power. During normal times, the system is expected to produce nearly all of the family’s electrical needs. On some days, it may generate more than the family needs, in which case, that power will go into the utility’s power grid. At night and during certain seasons of the year, it may generate less than needed, in which case, power will be supplied by the utility.

Dick and Antje’s goal is “Net Zero” – sell back to the utility as much as you buy from it. Their energy production corresponds to a CO2 (greenhouse gas) emissions savings of 45.4 lbs per day or 16,577 lbs per year. The family can monitor the solar production and their electric consumption through a web-based program. They can view the program on a flat panel screen in the kitchen, as well as on the computer. They can also monitor the system with a digital display on the inverter and the electric meter. Dick’s and Antje’s young son loves to watch the electric meter spin backwards.

​Ilonka W. of Newfield, NY contacted Halco because she had no heating system at her 3-season home. She was interested in installing a ductless mini-split and worked with our Energy Advisor, Sarah Cox, to make it happen. We installed a single zone air source heat pump and Ilonka has expressed her gratitude towards Halco every step of the way!