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 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 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.
