A Guide to Geothermal for Home Owners: Pay a Little More Now, Save a Lot More Later

In our last post, we mentioned the massive geothermal ground-source heat pump installation underway at Ball State in Muncie. Coincidentally, the next day, we received a Google news alert with a link to the article Construction of the Largest U.S. Geothermal Heat Pump System Underway, by Chris Williams, a Certified Geothermal Installer and Chief Marketing Officer at HeatSpring Learning Institute, on the blog ThinkProgress.

The article touches on a number of topics, including the role of ground source heat pumps in the U.S., the state of the geothermal heat pump industry, and the importance of the Ball State Geothermal Project to the future development of geothermal technology.

According the Williams, “In 1993, the EPA call geothermal  “the most efficient, environmentally clean, and cost effective space conditioning system today.” While the technology has been known for decades, the size of the Ball State project proves that geothermal installers and designers are gaining confidence to implement the technology on a massive scale and are winning the trust of risk-averse property owners.”

But the most interesting thing we discovered from the article was The Information Survival Kit for the Prospective Geothermal Heat Pump Owner, written by Kevin Rafferty, P.E., and distributed by the HeatSpring Learning Institute. This comprehensive, informative, 32 page guide is a must-have for any home owner seriously considering installing a geothermal heat pump. It explains in detail:

• How geothermal works and its various use options, including water heating and snow melting
• Differences between various geothermal systems
• Pros and cons of ground loop layout options
• How to calculate the size and type system needed based on Heating Degree Days (HDD)
• Equipment and installation costs
• How to calculate approximate operating cost savings:
  For example, in Indianapolis, with an HDD rating of between 5,000 and 6,000, annual space heating for an average 2,200 sq. ft. home, based on fuel source, would cost (approx.):

• Propane – $1,440
• Fuel Oil – $1,460
• Natural Gas – $750
• Ground-source heat pump – $330

It doesn’t take an Einstein to do this math. At a saving of more than $1,000 a year, the additional cost to install a geothermal heat pump should be offset in a few years. After that, it’s all gravy; you get to put those savings in your bank account, not the utility company’s.

Download the free “Geothermal Survival Kit” (Printer-friendly PDF opens in new window)

And don’t forget the 30% Federal tax rebate on the purchase of a qualified ENERGY STAR-rated heat pump.

Visit the Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning website for more information about geothermal heating and cooling systems. For a free in-home evaluation of your existing furnace and the benefits of a new geothermal heat pump, call 317-639-1111 to schedule an appointment.

Geothermal Heating & Cooling Systems Drastically Reduce Fuel Costs; Just Ask Indiana’s Ball State University

In our last post, we discussed the reasons to consider upgrading your home with an energy-efficient furnace. The bottom line was that a new 93% – 95% efficient furnace can save as much as 40% on your heat bill.

But if you want to save even more money, consider going “Geothermal.” A geothermal heating and cooling system is just about as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as is possible with today’s technology, while staying cost-effective in the long-run.

A geothermal heat pump system uses a series of tubes buried in the ground to heat and cool your home.

The cost of the electricity to run the system should be about one-third of the cost of heating fuel it replaces.

New technologies, including advanced “small footprint” tube installation procedures, make the use of geothermal a viable option for more Indianapolis-area homeowners than ever.

As an added incentive, homeowners who install a ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pump in 2012 are eligible for a 30% federal tax credit on the total cost, with no upper limit. Visit the ENERGY STAR website to learn more.

A great illustration of how geothermal technology is starting to more widely used is right in our backyard.  Ball State University is currently installing the largest ground source heat pump in the U.S., if not the world.

According to Tom Kinghorn, Ball State’s vice president of business affairs and treasurer, taking the current coal boilers offline will save the university $2 million a year when the project is completed, eliminating almost all of its $3 million annual fuel bill, but costing about $1 million a year in electricity to run.

Just as important, even after considering its increased demand for electricity for the new system, the university’s net carbon footprint will be cut approximately in half. It will also eradicate almost all of its $3 million annual fuel bill, but will cost about $1 million a year in electricity to run.

All in all, a pretty good deal, if you ask us. For a closer look at Ball State’s geothermal project, read the NY Times “Green” Blog article, Finding Energy Advantages Six Feet Under.

Visit the Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning website for more information about geothermal heating and cooling systems. For a free in-home evaluation of your existing furnace and the benefits of a new geothermal heat pump, call 317-639-1111 to schedule an appointment.

Is it Time to Upgrade Your Indianapolis Home with an Energy-Efficient Furnace?

As the next winter storm approaches Indianapolis rapidly, we thought it might be a good time to talk about heating systems. If your home is one of the thousands in Central Indiana with a furnace from the 90s, 80s, or even earlier, chances are that you’re practically throwing cash into the fire. In 1980, a “good” furnace was rated at 60-80% efficiency.

That meant that as much as 40 cents of every dollar you spent to heat your home went up in smoke, that almost half of the gas, oil, or electricity used was wasted. How times have changed! With today’s economic and environmental concerns, those figures are almost unthinkable.

Advances in technology, along with changes in governmental requirements, mean that today’s home furnaces are rated at least 78% efficient, with “high-efficiency” models rated at 90% or higher. Top-of-the-line furnaces, like Rheem’s RGRK, RGRL, and RGTK Classic® Series gas furnaces have an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) ratings of 95%, making them up to 15% more efficient than standard models. Two stages of operation (70% capacity for low-heat and 100% capacity for high-heat) save even more energy and help maintain optimal comfort level.

And while a 93 – 95% efficient furnace will cost $1,000 or more than an 80% efficient unit, it will provide energy and cost savings for the next 20 – 25 years or longer. The time it will take to recoup the difference depends on a number of factors, including the price of the equipment, fuel costs, climate, and the difference in efficiency between your old furnace and the new one. As energy costs continue to rise, those savings will add up even faster.

And don’t forget, you will also be helping the environment, as your new furnace will belch out tons less hydrocarbons into the atmosphere over its lifetime.

Want to save even more? Think one word: Geothermal! A geothermal heat pump can reduce your heating and cooling costs by as much as 50%, or more. And for 2012, a 30% Federal Tax Credit on the purchase of a qualified ENERGY STAR-RATED Geothermal Heat Pump is available to home owners, with no upper limit, including installation cost, which can save you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars.

We will go into more detail about geothermal heat pumps in our next post, including the groundbreaking project (no pun intended) under way at Ball State University in Muncie.

For more information about upgrading your home with a new, energy-efficient furnace or heat pump, visit the Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning website. Call 317-639-1111 to schedule a free in-home evaluation of your home’s existing heating system.

Downtown Indy Shines for Super Bowl!

We wanted to post this to show that we are not alone in our opinion of how well Indianapolis pulled off this great event and everything that went with it:

An open letter from Tamara Zahn, Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. president:

As out-of-town Super Bowl guests leave the city, they take with them an awesome impression of Downtown Indianapolis and our community.  And based on the calls and e-mails we have received from around the country, game viewers had the same impression.  Here’s what a couple media voices had to say: 

According to USA Today, “Players and media hailed the convenience of the city. Said Giants guard Chris Snee, ‘You feel like you’re in the middle of everything.’ To those who know the Circle City, that sounds about right.” 

Darren Rovell, CNBC , summed up what many thought, “Indianapolis is the best Super Bowl City I’ve ever seen.” 

Thanks and congratulations to the Super Bowl Host Committee and our many IDI partners who worked with us to make Downtown shine in the national spotlight and provide guests with a SUPER experience.  Other cities will try to emulate our Downtown experience, but Indy’s spirit of collaboration and partnership is hard to match.

Indy’s Super Bowl XLVI a Great Success – Now it’s Time to get Back to Reality

After years of negotiations, planning, building, restoring, planting, and thousands of Hoosiers working tirelessly to achieve a singular goal, Indianapolis has finally hosted a Super Bowl, and, in our opinion, extremely successfully. We extend our congratulation to the members of the Indianapolis Host Committee and all the volunteers that helped make this perhaps the best Super Bowl Week of all time.

Virtually everyone we spoke to or heard on TV had nothing but great things to say about Indy and the party we put on. Hundreds of thousands of people from across the country visited Super Bowl Village, the NFL Experience broke all attendance records, and the zipline had more than 10,000 riders over the 10 days it ran, including Late Night host Jimmy Fallon, who did a great job showing Indy at it’s best as he hosted his show from the Hilbert Circle Theater.

In fact, the zipline was so popular there’s talk that it may make another appearance here in the future, say maybe sometime in late May. If you missed the chance to ride it, or want to do it again, keep your fingers crossed.

But, alas, it’s all over now. Time to get back to reality. And the reality is that it’s early February, and as mild as it has been so far, winter ain’t over yet! You can bet that we’ll still see our fair share of snow and ice before it’s over. Are you ready for it?

Chances are that more than a few residents of Indianapolis, Zionsville, Noblesville, Carmel and other communities that hosted events got so caught up with Super Bowl preparation that they may have overlooked a few of the things they would normally have done to get their home ready for the season, such as getting an annual maintenance check performed on their furnace or heating system.

According to PATH, a Public – Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology, “Get your furnace checked and tuned-up by professionals. Keeping your heating system at its optimum efficiency could save you hundreds of dollars on heating costs.”

If you haven’t had a Winter Tune-up performed yet, we currently have appointments available for comprehensive maintenance checks of your furnace, boiler, heat pump and ventilation system. At the same time, you might want to take advantage of the Thiele “Rewards” Service Program. For a very affordable annual fee, we will:

• Perform preventive maintenance twice a year, Spring and Autumn
• Check and adjust air flow temperature
• Clean or replace air filters
• Calibrate thermostats
• Clean coils and clear debris from condenser unit
• Provide a 10% discount on any parts and repairs, including for current visit

Thiele’s “Rewards” Service Program can provide you with the peace-of-mind of knowing that a well-maintained system rarely breaks down, but that in an emergency, you are our top priority! You can count on Thiele’s  skilled service technicians to provide prompt, reliable service.

To schedule your appointment, call Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning, Indy’s oldest heating & cooling company, at (317) 639-1111. For more information, visit our website, www.CallThiele.com.

Super Bowl XLVI Pre-Game Events & Activities, Part 4: 5 Days, 7 Hours, 39 Minutes to Kickoff

With Super Bowl XLVI just 5 days away, events are in full swing. Both teams are here, and their presence has already been felt. WISH-TV reported that quarterbacks Tom Brady of the Patriots and the Giants’ Eli Manning were spotted at St. Elmo’s having dinner on Monday night (no, not together.)

• Somewhere around 200,000 people have already visited the Super Bowl Village.
• The NFL Experience has been drawing big crowds, with more than 40,000 attending last Sunday, and an expected attendance of more than 60,000/day next weekend.
• 150,000 visitors are expected to arrive between now and game day.

If you haven’t had a chance to take advantage of any of the Super Bowl Week activities, don’t fear. There’s still plenty of time, and loads of things to still do and see.

• Free concerts and entertainment continue downtown at the Super Bowl Village and The Huddle After Dark. The big shows this weekend will feature:
  • Edwin McCain and Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) on Thursday
    
  • LMFAO and local favorites Fitz & The Tantrums on Friday
  • Umphrey’s McGee, North Mississippi Alstars, and O.A.R. on Saturday night.
    
    Download the complete list of artists and performance schedule. (PDF opens in new window)
• Enjoy one of the Super 46 Sandwiches selected from restaurants around the state. Find out what and where they are here.
• See the Super Cars – these unique Indy cars designed to represent each of the NFL teams have been moved from downtown to Super Celebration Sites across the state and locations around Indianapolis. Find the Super Cars and their locations here.
• Check out the 46 for XLVI – 46 murals around Marion County created by both local and national artists to honor each of the 46 Super Bowls. According to Mayor Ballrd, “The “46 for XLVI” murals will beautify our neighborhoods and are an innovative and creative way to augment the extensive infrastructure work underway across the City.” Click to see photos of the 46 for XLVI murals, and directions to their locations.
• Taste of the NFL, The Party with a Purpose – this annual fundraiser, one of the most popular Super Bowl events, has been taking place in Super Bowl cities for more than 20 years. This year’s party takes place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 4 at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.
  
  The event features chefs from all the NFL cities serving their signature dishes. Graze from more than 35 food stations, meet and mingle with renowned chefs and NFL greats, and participate in a silent auction with unique sports memorabilia and other exciting items. Visit the Taste of the NFL website for more information and to purchase tickets to this great event. While not cheap, you’ll have a great time, and proceeds go to food banks in every NFL city.

Next week, it’s back to reality. While Super Bowl XLVI has given Indy a great opportunity to grow, rebuild, and improve its infrastructure and amenities, we will now need to deal with what comes next after all the visitor go home. Improvements need to continue and be kept up. Community spirit, which has reached a new high, has to be encouraged and harnessed to maintain the vibrant energy that’s been generated throughout town. We believe that after the great Super Bowl we’ve hosted, Indianapolis will be recognized as the World-Class city it deserves to be. Let’s keep growing and moving forward into the future!

And don’t forget, if you have problems with your HVAC system and need emergency service, Thiele, Indianapolis’ oldest heating & cooling company, is here when you needs us, 24/7. Yes, even on Super Bowl Sunday. For more information, call us at (317) 639-1111, or visit our website, www.CallThiele.com.

Super Bowl XLVI Pre-Game Events & Activities, Part 3: 9 Days, 5 Hours to Kickoff

Super Bowl XLVI is just 6 days away! In our last post, we took a look at The NFL Experience at the Convention Center. Today, we’ll discuss some of the other popular activities taking place around town over the next few days.

• NFL Charities Celebrity Bowling Classic – Up to 50 retired NFL players and Pro Football Hall of Famers will be on hand as teams of four amateur players will bowl two games each with rotating celebrity captains.
  Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
  Time: 1:00 pm
  Location: Woodland Bowl
• 13th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration – the only gospel event sanctioned by the NFL for Super Bowl Weekend, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration was named by USA Today as “One of the Best Three Super Bowl Events to Attend.” Purchase tickets.
  Date: Friday, February 3, 2012
  Time: 7:30 pm
  Location: Clowes Memorial Hall
• The Pro Football Hall of Fame Merlin Olsen Luncheon – a maximum of 250 guests will have the opportunity to meet members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a very intimate environment.
  Date: Friday, February 3, 2012
  Time: 11:00 am
  Location: Indianapolis Museum of Art
• The Super Bowl Breakfast – features the presentation of the Bart Starr Award to a current NFL player, voted on by his peers, for outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community. Bart Starr will personally present the award to this year’s winner.
  Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
  Time: 8:00 am
  Location: Indiana State Fairgrounds, Expo Hall
• Legends for Charity Dinner – benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, sportscaster and announcer Al Michaels will receive the Pat Summerall Award.
  Date: February 2, 2012
  Time: 5:30 pm
  Location: Westin Indianapolis
• Pepsi Super Bowl XLVI Fan Jam- three different concerts that feature a variety of musical genres, including:
  • Univision Pepsi Musica Super Bowl Fan Jam
    Guests: Dom Omar, Larry Hernandez, and Alejandra Guzman
    Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
    Time: 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM)
    Location: Indiana Convention Center
  • Vh1 Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam
    Guests: Gym Class Heroes, B.o.B., All-American Rejects
    Date: Thursday, February 2, 2012
    Time: 7:00 pm (Doors open at 6:00 PM and Live TV show on VH1 begins at 8:00 PM)
    Location: Indiana State Fairgrounds, Pepsi Coliseum
  • CMT Crossroads Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam
    Guests: Carrie Underwood and Steven Tyler
    Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
    Time: 6:00 pm
    Location: Indiana State Fairgrounds Pepsi Coliseum

Get free tickets for the NFL Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam events, if still available, by registering to be a part of the TV audience at www.1iota.com.

And this only scratches the surface. See the Host Committee Event Calendar for a complete list of Super Bowl XLVI events and activities.

Getting There

As we mentioned in our post about Super Bowl event parking, parking downtown could be problematic. Probably the best alternative is Park and Ride. For $2.00 a person, you can reserve a parking spot at one of three locations and ride a convenient shuttle right to all the downtown activities.

And don’t forget, if you have problems with your HVAC system and need emergency service, Thiele, Indianapolis’ oldest heating & cooling company, is here when you needs us, 24/7. Yes, even on Super Bowl Sunday. For more information, call us at (317) 639-1111, or visit our website, www.CallThiele.com.