Case Study One: 20-Year Old Bungalow
Durham, Ontario

Situation
The house is located in southern Ontario. The region is characterized by hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. The house was built in 1985 and has a 1,350 sq. ft. main floor plus a crawl space. A spring-fed pond measuring 12 ft. deep and two acres in size is located in the backyard.

Challenge
The homeowner is environmentally conscientious, so the total energy efficiency of the house was a primary consideration. The house was previously heated with electric resistance, which was costing the homeowner $3,000 during the winter months. The house did not have air conditioning.

Action
The 'Energuide for Homes' program was used to analyze what improvements would be recommended to achieve the homeowner's desired energy efficiencies. The Energuide report made several suggestions, including the installation of a geothermal system, which would provide the single biggest improvement. The homeowner chose NextEnergy.

Results
Since the installation of the NextEnergy geothermal system in October of 2004, the homeowner has reduced her heating bill by approximately 65%. The home also enjoys cooling now. At a set temperature of 75 °F., combined heating and cooling costs in 2005 amounted to only $1,000.

The homeowner is amazed at the comfort the geothermal system provides. As she commented, "I'm in love with it [geothermal]; when people come over they say, "How come the air isn't dry?".” The homeowner says she recommends geothermal to everyone she knows. 

Click Here to Return to The Top of The Page

Case Study Two: New Suburban House
Wellesley, Ontario

Situation
Michael and Joanne Fritz live in a 2,900 sq. ft. house in southwestern Ontario. The house is one year old and sits on a two-acre lot.

Challenge
The Fritzes wanted a system that could efficiently heat their house and compete with the natural gas that was the best alternative. They were also concerned with the environmental impact of the system.

Action
A NextEnergy Geothermal Specialist in the area designed and installed the geothermal system. First, their experts calculated the required load on the house, the cost of the installation, and the expected savings very precisely using the modeling program GeoDesigner. A horizontal loop measuring 3,000 ft. in length was buried in the backyard at a depth of six feet.

A single Tranquility27™ Forced Air unit was installed in the basement to provide space heating, cooling, and hot water. Ductwork was also installed throughout the house. The full installation of the geothermal system was completed in about one week.

Results
The Fritzes are enjoying great annual savings over the high-efficiency natural gas system that was the best alternative (they also have a reduced electrical bill from savings on air conditioning and hot water). The extra cost of installing the geothermal system will be quickly repaid. The geothermal system is also, of course, entirely non-polluting.

The Fritzes paid $1,000 to bring the gas line in from the road for the stove and barbecue, but opted for geothermal to meet their space conditioning needs.

The Fritzes are thrilled with the great comfort level geothermal energy provides. Even on the coldest days of last winter, the house was maintained at an even 70 Deg F during the day and 65 at night, as desired. The Fritzes were amazed at the lack of cold spots anywhere in the house.

The Fritzes are very pleased with their geothermal system. They have highly recommended geothermal to several people in the Guelph/Ariss area. Their experience demonstrates the applicability of the geothermal solution in a suburban environment.

Click Here to Return to The Top of The Page

Case Study Three: New Bungalow
Clearwater, BC

Situation
Carl and Diane Dekelver live in the rural environs of Clearwater, BC, about 70 km northeast of Kamloops. The area experiences hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Their split-level house has a 1,500 sq. ft. main floor and a basement of equal size.

Challenge
The Dekelvers decided to build a new home in 2001. The conventional heating option was very expensive. The Dekelvers started researching geothermal energy prior to beginning construction. They were looking for a system with low operating costs and quality space conditioning that would also add value to their new home.

Action
Installation took place in 2002. A local NextEnergy Geothermal Specialist designed and installed the system. A horizontal loop measuring 2,400 ft. in length was buried in the backyard of the large property, in a trench measuring 300 ft. long, five ft. wide, and eight ft. deep. The one-inch loop pipe was buried in two layers in the trench to conserve space. Since the house had not been built yet, the loop headers were run underneath the foundation from the basement to the yard.

A 4 ton Genesis™ geothermal unit was installed in the basement. Ductwork was placed throughout the house. The unit provides heating and air conditioning to the house, as well as a portion of the hot water.

Results
The Dekelvers have tracked their utility bills over the last three years. They have paid, on average, $1,200 a year in total electrical bills. In comparison, the probable alternative system (electric + wood backup) would have cost an estimated $4,800 a year. The geothermal system has resulted in a reduction of 75% in annual operating costs. The Dekelvers recovered the extra cost of installing their geothermal system in less than two years.

The Dekelvers are enjoying a range of additional benefits from their geothermal system. The resale price of their house has increased because of the greater value accorded to a geothermal installation. Since the system is completely safe, fire insurance is one-fifth of what it would be otherwise. The air quality is excellent, with 100% of particulates removed by the filter provided with the unit. The system also maintains a consistent air temperature better than anything the Dekelvers have experienced.

The Dekelvers have enthusiastically spread the word about their system to many interested people. According to Diane Dekelver, "We like everything about it. I wouldn't go back to anything else."

Click Here to Return to The Top of The Page

Case Study Four: Renovated Two-Story House
Petrolia, Ontario

Situation
The property that Charles Fairbank owns and lives on is also the location of the first commercial oil well ever drilled in North America. The well was drilled in 1858. In 2003, this famous plot of land also became the source of geothermal energy for Mr. Fairbank's house.

Challenge
The original house is 1,880 sq. ft. and a 2,400 sq. ft. addition was constructed in 2003. The house was previously heated with propane. The propane was very expensive. When the addition was constructed, Mr. Fairbank decided the time was right to go geothermal. "We all have to be concerned about energy efficiency," he says, and he wanted a system that would not be reliant upon fossil fuels. He was also willing to invest more capital for a long-lasting system such as geothermal.

Action
A local NextEnergy Geothermal Specialist performed the installation. A Genesis Forced Air geothermal unit was installed with a desuperheater (hot water heater) hooked up to the hot water tank. A ground loop measuring 2,500 ft. in length was buried in a single trench in the front yard.

The geothermal unit provides forced air heating and air conditioning to the entire house. Additionally, an infloor heating system was connected to the hot water tank in order for the unit to provide infloor heating to a small area of the house.

In addition to the geothermal system, the Geothermal Specialist also installed new ductwork and insulation throughout the entire house. The contractor also put in an air filtration system to remove fine dust and particulates from the air for the health of the Fairbank family.

Results
The installation of the geothermal system coupled with the upgrade in insulation and ductwork have resulted in great gains in efficiency, just as Mr. Fairbank had hoped. His house has more than doubled in size (with the addition) while his heating bills have been reduced by at least 70%, from about $4,000 a year to $1,500 a year. The system also provides air conditioning.

Over the past three years, Mr. Fairbank has had ample time to fully enjoy the benefits geothermal energy has to offer. In his own words, "I am a happy customer. I recommend geothermal energy to people all the time. It's an ideal system."

Click Here to Return to The Top of The Page

Case Study Five: 30 Year Old Two-Story House
Elmira, Ontario

Situation
The property is located in southwestern Ontario. The area experiences hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Each floor of the house is 1,500 sq. ft. A pond is located in the backyard.

Challenge
The home was previously heated with an oil furnace, which was very loud during start-up. The furnace room is located directly beside the master bedroom, so the noise factor was a big issue. Due to the rising cost of oil, the homeowner was relying heavily on his wood stove to heat the house in the winter.

The wood stove heated the upstairs, but the downstairs was cool. Even with the stove, it still cost $2,500 to heat the house last winter. Electric hot water costs amounted to $500 a year.

Action
A local NextEnergy Geothermal Specialist was contracted for the installation. A loop measuring 1,000 ft. in length was submerged in the pond behind the house. The excellent heat transfer capabilities of water make a pond an ideal choice for a geothermal application. Additionally, utilizing the pond allowed our Geothermal Specialist to minimize the amount of excavation done, enabling their experts to complete the installation very quickly with little impact on the property and at a lower cost.

Results
The geothermal system saves the Schwindts $2,000 a year in heating and hot water costs, while also providing air conditioning. Paul Schwint anticipates relying less on the wood stove and more on the efficiency of the geothermal system.

The exceptionally quiet operation of the Tranquility 27TM forced air geothermal unit has fixed the noise problem. Says Paul Schwindt: “We used to wake up in the middle of the night when the [oil] furnace would start up, now we never hear it [the geothermal system].” The system also eliminates the hot and cold areas of the house.

Paul Schwindt was inspired to go geothermal after touring NextEnergy’s highly efficient, zero-emission head office nearby. He is, of course, happy that he did.

Click Here to Return to The Top of The Page

Case Study Six: 19th-Century Farmhouse
Moorefield, Ontario

Situation
Luke and Pat Dobben live on a dairy farm in southwestern Ontario. The Dobbens live in a 1,900 sq. ft. farmhouse that is 120 years old and has double-brick walls. Only the kitchen, bathroom, and one bedroom are insulated. The Dobbens have a large yard and fields surrounding their house.

Challenge
During the winter of 2004, the Dobbens spent over $4,000 heating their home with fuel oil. The oil furnace still did not keep their home warm enough for their liking. The Dobbens wanted a system that would cost them less in monthly bills and heat and cool their home more effectively. They wanted a system that would operate efficiently without any major renovations or upgrades needing to be done to the home itself.

Action
A local NextEnergy Geothermal Specialist designed and installed the geothermal system. A horizontal loop measuring 3,600 ft. in length was buried in the field beside the house. A Tranquility27™ forced air unit was installed in the basement along with a small amount of ductwork. The Dobbens removed the central air conditioning system they had used previously, as the geothermal system will now fulfill the cooling function. The full installation of the geothermal system was carried out over the course of three days.

Our Geothermal Specialist also sold the Dobbens a 40 gallon preheat and a 60 gallon water heater to replace the oil-heated water tank that was removed with the oil furnace.

Results
The geothermal system provides a high level of comfort and cost savings year round. The Dobbens have reported that over the course of the hot, humid summer of 2005, the system provided air conditioning that was cooler than the previous central air unit was able to deliver.

Due to the tremendous efficiency of the geothermal system, the Dobbens are saving approximately 65% annually on their heating bill, which resulted in a savings of $2,600 over a fuel oil system last winter alone. With the additional savings on air conditioning and hot water bills, the Dobbens can expect to get a full return on their investment in eight years (at current oil prices). The Dobbens are also eligible for the 'Energuide for Homes' federal grant for installing a geothermal system.

The Dobbens are enjoying the full comfort of a geothermal system and much reduced operating costs without any upgrades to their home. The geothermal solution is effective in any household, and is ideally suited to the rural environment.

Click Here to Return to The Top of The Page