The Geothermal National and International Initiative Inc (GEO-NII) itself is a collaborative effort within the geothermal heat pump industry. We aim to share information, improve technologies, and grow the use of geothermal energies. We are looking for anyone that wants to “join” that team at all times. It isn’t about pushing one another out, it is about bringing more folks into the fold!

Take the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, or IGSHPA, an industry-leading organization chaired by GEO-NII’s own executive director and founder, Jack DiEnna, which offers training, certification, and educational opportunities, but also is one of the best ways to network, collaborate, and share ideas.

IGSHPA membership has much to offer its participants. For example, the 2023 live conference in Las Vegas this past fall was a great chance to hear what others in the industry are doing to move the geothermal world to the next level. Let’s take a look at Framingham, Massachusetts.

The conference was attended by Eric Bosworth, manager of Clean Technology, who is working on the country’s first project of its kind. And, in all reality, it is perfectly inline with GEO-NII’s exact missions.

Firstly, Bosworth said that his organization relies on the “geothermal knowledge-sharing” from associations like IGSHPA and its members, as Clean Technology navigates its way through a massive “first” in the industry.

The massive project involves Clean Technology as it partners with Eversource, a gas utility in its state, to build the first utility-owned network geothermal loop. Doing so requires installing a mile of shared main in Massachusetts for around 140 customers they hope to have onboard in early 2024.

Bosworth says that sharing at conferences like IGSHPA’s is win/win. He is able to share the process with other members, all while also getting input from attendees.

“Eversource, as a utility, didn’t have any existing experience installing necessarily ground-source heat pumps or certainly the infrastructure required for a network geothermal loop,” said Bosworth. “[The conference] was a great opportunity to both share the journey that we’re on installing this system, but also gain access to and have conversations with a lot of industry experts that could give us great feedback and guidance as we put this first system in.”

The project is the first of its kind, putting a GEO-NII goal into a real-world model. As you likely know, a very important part of our mission is to “advocate ‘rate recoverable’ geothermal heat exchanger (GHE) ownership for utilities and other third-party owners,” which is exactly the Eversource aim with this ground-breaking (literally and figuratively) project.

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So, where do these savings in operating cost come from? Well, there are a few different factors at play, but these are the three primary reasons:

1. There’s No Need for Fossil Fuels
   First, geothermal heat pumps do not burn fossil fuels. Those who heat their home using oil or gas know the pain of having to refill their tank, sometimes multiple times a year. These costs, on top of monthly electric bills can be quite the financial burden. Combine this with the fact that oil pricing is subject to supply and demand and you’ve got frequent headaches. Geothermal heat pumps free homeowners from oil and gas bills entirely – greatly reducing costs and unpredictability.
2. Ultra-Efficient Equipment
   Traditional furnaces create heat. This is not the most efficient process because it results in less energy put into the home than what the actual fuel contains. Even the most efficient traditional furnace is still only about 98% efficient.
   On the contrary, geothermal heat pumps transfer heat from the ground. This is a much more efficient process because the system can put out more energy than the power it consumes. In addition, only about a fourth of the energy delivered comes from the utility– the rest is extracted from free, renewable energy beneath the ground. For these reasons, geothermal heat pumps are 400% efficient – that’s 4 times more efficient than a traditional furnace!
3. Low Maintenance
   Geothermal heat pump systems require minimal maintenance due to their simplicity and longevity. The ground loop itself is buried beneath the ground and requires no maintenance – they typically have a lifetime of 50 to 100 years. For the heat pump, most manufacturers recommend a simple filter change 2 – 3 times per year and an inspection every five or so years. The heat pump, which is inside, typically lasts 20-25 years – that’s 5-10 years more than many conventional systems.

With the installation of more and more geothermal heat pumps, comes an abundance of benefits for our economy and environment; but those who directly benefit from low operating costs are the home and building owners themselves. Low operating costs means reduced monthly utility bills, less maintenance calls, and a better return on investment.

John (Jack) P. DiEnna Jr is the Executive Director of the Geothermal National & International Initiative, and can be reached at jdienna@geo-nii.org

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Geothermal heating and cooling, also known as GeoExchange, is a heating and cooling technology that surpasses most traditional and alternative systems by simply moving heat from its source to another area.

In the heating mode, a geothermal or ground-source heat pump extracts energy from the earth—typically using a buried water loop—and moves it indoors. In the summer, the heat pump moves heat from indoors into the relatively cool earth, via the water loop. The result in both seasons is that less energy is needed than with conventional air-to-air heat pumps, natural gas, or oil heating systems. There are two major components to a geothermal system: the heat pump and air-duct portion, and the in-ground water loop well system.

The ground loop may represent an additional approximately 30 percent to 40 percent additional cost compared to a traditional HVAC system…

Read more here… Utility Ground Loop Service White Paper

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This new book, Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Design of Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems, completely updates the last book, Ground-Source Heat Pumps: Design of Geothermal Systems for Commercial and Institutional Buildings, which was published in 1997. This new book contains the -most recent info on design and engineering available, supporting the training by the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association’s Certified Geoexchange Designer program.

You can order the new book at www.ashrae.org/bookstore.

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Jack will be speaking on the topic “Geothermal Heat Pumps ‘The Playbook’ – Now More Than a ‘Niche’ Market”
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Minnesota Geo Association Website

Conference Info

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